Faint and Fall Over...

Yeah, I know it’s been a while since last I surfaced. It’s amazing the people who have written to see if I was still alive, many ‘regulars’ concerned for me and then some folks that I never otherwise hear from. It’s funny that you don’t hear from a subscriber until you drop off the radar screen. My only excuse is that I am worried about losing my home, which comprises a whopping 25% of the long-term raptor rehab facilities now existing in Georgia. Most everyone else has given up or have been disqualified by the Feds. No one wants to listen to a sad sack, so I've just been lying low. **sigh**


The fund raiser in September was a surprising success, so much so that Sean said he would continue to help us try to generate critically needed funds to stay afloat. It wasn’t enough to get me square with my late mortgage, but at least the lights and phone are still on and I was able to fill up the freezer with a little left over to feed petrol to the elderly Land Cruiser. It’s still going strong and I am so grateful to the donor (you know who you are)...


I have taken Stephanie’s frozen self out to the taxidermist extraordinaire, Bud Jones, (half of what he normally charges ) for a beautiful stuffing. I will find the money somehow…it’s only 150.00, if someone would like to help me get her out of hock when the time comes, it would be much appreciated. She was such a fighter and so beautiful in life and will be a wonderful teacher, even in her discorporate state.

I've had tons of rehab birds since I last checked in with you, enough that I cannot remember them all unless I look at my notes. I had to euthanize a beautiful first year Red-tailed hawk last week that was picked up in Polk County. The poor dear had been living on road-kill for at least a month due to an overlying fracture of his left leg. Sadly, I didn't have him long enough to get any photos of him. He was a lovely little male that knew I was trying to help; I only wish I could have.

I've had two gray phase Screech owls; one was released and the other lived about 5 days after surgery. We knew going into it that he could not be released back into the wild, but it would be nice to have a gray one to contrast and compare to Scully.

This one was also wild as a snake and we had a devil of a time dealing with him because he would spin around like a top (or Linda Blair, but my Spanish Veterinarian didn't know who Linda Blair was). I had my doubts that he would make a good education bird, but my wonderful vet was willing to try to help him. Don't know what went wrong, but it was a big surgery and some of the bone was dead...



Here is the other one that was recovered from a parking lot up at Reinhardt College. What a cutie pie...

Evey year, I lecture the American Heritage Academy at one of their retreats over on Lake Allatoona. It's a small group of students, so I bring Nigel and allow the students to put the glove on and hold him. Here is my favorite pic of the day. This kid was a natural!

We had to perform yet another surgery on dear Icabod and amputate up to the wrist. We cannot go any higher per Federal law, so this is pretty much it for him. The stump had been causing him problems and I believe, was causing him pain because he was feather pulling. The day I found this feather on the ground, I knew we had to do something. Please keep him in your prayers...

Two graduate students came over to do an experiment on the owls to see if they would use their beaks and feet to reel food up that has been tied to a string. Apparently owls have some of the largest brains per cubic centimeter than other birds. Studies have been done on corvids (crows) and parrots, but there wasn't any research done on raptors, per se.

Here are Erin and Desi setting up the experiment...

Just for grins, they through they would give Sean Patrick a whirl before working with the owls...

It's a good thing, too because my owls refused to participate! I think they probably knew that if they held out long enough, momma would trudge up the hill with supper in hand... Sean Patrick was the only one that played along! What a good boy!

I was lamenting on my FaceBook page recently as I posted this photo...why can't I meet a man like this? My friend Robert wrote back to remind me that they have all been eaten by lions! Too funny!

One of my 2010 Red-shouldered hawks has stopped by for a visit. I heard her yelling one day last week, so I grabbed a mouse and headed to the hack board with it to offer her a snack, but she just stood there perched in the tree, looking at me. She looked wonderful! I hope I can pull off some miracle and figure out a way to keep my home. It depresses the heck out of me to think the next time she comes by to say hello, there might not be anyone here...or perhaps she was just saying goodbye...