What a difference a few days can make

The Barred owl that had glided into the tree and got himself tangled up in fishing line is doing very well. I started some physical therapy on him and a few bites and scratches later, he went from this

To this

Sometimes, all they need is a Good Samaritan with the compassion to stop what they're doing and intervene, a doctor who will give of their time, and the rehabber to do the rest. Our little friend will be going back into the wild next week.





Wally is doing well. Dr. David removed the bandage yesterday and so far his foot has remained open. He's in his new digs now and the FIRST thing he did was take a badly needed bath!






There are some days that I am convinced I have boogers for brains. Now I have a VERY young turkey to try to keep alive. The nice people down at Union Hill Animal Hospital help me every now and then and they called this morning to ask if I knew how to care for a turkey. I told them I had dated a few in my distant past, but didn't really have any experience with gobble-gobbles. I thought, what the hell, it probably isn't very different from the baby chicks I've raised. I doubt he'll live through the day because I can't seem to get him warm enough. He's awfully limp and not at all interested in eating. Turkeys are precocial, which means that they are up and moving about right after they hatch and dry off. I imagine mama knew he wasn't viable and left him to be cycled back into the food chain. He sure is cute, tho!


The young Barred owl that was released about two weeks ago is finally coming down to the hackboard for food and boy, do I feel better. It's pretty hard to hack owls since they run on auditory signals and dead things don't move, but I use a portable hackboard in their chamber and I ring, literally, ring the dinner bell as I approcah with food. Here is a pic I took a couple of evenings ago. Not a good shot because it's dusk and he was pretty far up the tree, but I'm glad to know that he figured it out. When I was hacking eagles, I chewed my fingernails to the quick waiting for them to return to the hacking tower. Even a blind pig finds an acorn every now and then.


The young Red-shouldered hawk that was released at the same time as the Barred owl is doing very well, too. She has finally made her way down to the hackboard by the pond, but wouldn't you know that my room mate has started working third shift and CRIMINEY - RSH's are NOISY. So...I'm walking her food back up to the hackboard at the barn so Don won't go crazy trying to sleep. Ugh...

"Let me in, dammit...I know you're in there!"


Take care of yourselves and each other and thanks for taking the time to read my blog...m. www.hawktalk.org