Today was a perfect day to release Pat’s Northern Harrier that had suffered a wing fracture several weeks ago; who’d have guessed there was a snowstorm just a few days ago? It was sunny and bright, with just enough breeze for an afternoon of good flight. We met Pat in Briargate, where she found the bird, and also met up with wildlife photographer, Clint, who came along to photograph the release. Phil took the bird out of the kennel, we each took a quick picture, and off he went! Flying beautifully and gracefully, low over the grassy banks along the stream he went. Again, this is the kind of day that makes it all worthwhile. And a big THANK YOU to Pat for her donation that helped cover the cost of feeding this bird in rehab!
We say “so long” to the bird….
…and here you can kind of see him if you look real close, against the snow, flying low.
Betsy was drifting off to sleep one night in her Colorado Springs home when she heard a THUD against her window. She figured maybe it was a bat, and went to sleep. The next morning when she awoke, she went outside and looked, and found a tiny little owl lying on the ground and a perfect little owl print on the window up above! Obviously, the bird hit hard. Betsy quietly observed the bird before intervening, concerned something bigger would come along and eat the diminutive bird, and picked the owl up. Then she began the calling around until she could find someone to help her. Eventually Betsy connected with State Patrol, then with Anita, who sent the bird here a few days later. When Betsy’s Northern Saw Whet owl arrived here at Ellicott Wildlife Rehab. Center, she was very thin and couldn’t move one side of her body. She’d been through alot, and it showed. We weren’t sure how it would go, but finally with proper food, quiet conditions, and a couple of nights of help with feedings, we’re happy to say that so far this little bird seems to be improving. The bird is enjoying time outside in the fresh air, hiding in her branches and logs, and is eating all by herself. Let’s wish progress and a release for this bird. Feeding cost in rehab= about $1 per day.
We knew it was coming; on or before Halloween each year we get a really big snow storm. The forecast isn’t always right and we always debate; do we go out there and load all the critters up to bring inside? Or do we hope the forecast is wrong and leave the critters out? My rule of thumb is, if I’m going to lose sleep worrying about it, it’s just best to bring them in. So Wednesday night while it was still beautiful and warm, clear with stars shining, with no inkling of the “big storm” that was coming, we kenneled up everyone that was in a low enclosure and brought them in for overnight. The problem is, some of our outdoor enclosures aren’t very high and when a blizzard or white-out comes, the drifts in those enclosures can go right up to the ceiling. The higher enclosures are fine; the critters sleep up high on platforms and perches. Well, we were awakened about 6 a.m. yesterday morning by the howling of the wind, which sounded like the house was going to blow over! Lots and lots of heavy, wet snow and incredible wind combined to make a mess out of the Pikes Peak region. Power lines were down, driving was near-impossible. We lost power in the morning and didn’t get it back until sometime this morning. It was very cold and very dark; thank goodness for the fireplace! Now the real work begins; digging out. Thank you to everyone that called to see how we’re doing. The critters are okay and, we’re okay now, but dreaming of moving someplace with no severe weather!! And a special thanks to those utility workers, who go out there in that nasty weather, and get our power up and running again!
Brrr…. wind and blowing snow….
Inside one of the enclosures that had a bird in before the storm.
We’d like to thank Kyle and Scout Troop 514 for the wonderful boxes they built for wildlife! These guys did this project FAST and made really good boxes that we’ll use to house everything from hawks to owls to ???? Thank you all for the good work, and thank you Tom and Sharon for bringing the boxes to Ellicott!
Well, the blue jays are finally acclimated and ready to go, and the remaining flickers have completed their molts and are ready to go, so the jays went to Anita’s for release and the flix to Alison for release. Anita’s place near Cheyenne Mountain is ideal blue jay release situation; plenty of blue jays, big trees and scrub oak, habitat, and food sources. I feel confident they’ll do very well. Thank you, Anita! And one of the flickers is one that came to us via Alison, and back to Alison he went for release. James and Flicka have their new feathers, are acclimated and weather-proof, and catching and finding enough food to maintain their weight. Alison has big pine trees and plenty of flickers (hence good food sources and habitat) at her place in Black Forest, and again I feel confident they’ll do fabulous at Alison’s place. Thank you, Alison, for your time and care, and for sending such healthy young flickers here ‘way back when! And of course, a big THANK YOU to Nancy K. and all of your help raising these birds to be the beautiful, healthy birds they are now. Thank you to Ray S. and Steve S. for transporting the birds to their new homes!
Last night we had a good time with the Aiken Audubon Society and members, as well as everyone else who came to Creatures of the Night at the DOW. Debbie did the bat presentation, and a fun and interactive activity that demonstrates how mother bats find their young in caves full of darkness and sounds of thousands of other bats. How? Well, by sound and scent, of course! Deb blindfolded some adults, handed out bat “sounds” and scents, and gave the scents and sounds to some of the Scouts that were present. Then they had to find each other, by smell and by cheeping! Before long, there were a bunch of folks cheeping and sniffing, and it was great fun. Diana and Phil presented Hootie, and talked a bit about owl characteristics. And Mike of Bare Bones Library brought some amazing nighttime creature skeletons to look at, as well as some bat mounts to share. All in all, a really good time.
Here Debbie talks about bats and other nighttime critters….
And here bat “moms” (and dads) try to locate their young by sound and scent!
This young female (judging by size) red-tailed hawk came from “Hawk Hill’ Ranch in Calhan. Although we can’t be 100% certain, it appears this bird may have been shot with a BB gun, as there was a man out near the property shooting immediately prior to this bird being found with a freshly broken wing. Terry and his family have enjoyed watching this particular family of hawks on their ranch for many, many years (hence the name Hawk Hill) and were saddened when this youngster had her accident. After a period of kennel rest to allow the bone time to heal, we’re happy to say this bird is outside now, exercising and gaining strength in the DOW raptor flight enclosure. Her wings are symmetric and so far she can fly about halfway across the cage. Let’s keep our fingers crossed…. Food cost in rehab=$2-$3 per day.
Yesterday afternoon Pat was sitting in her kitchen, looking out the window, when she noticed this young bird falling off the fence in the back yard. She watched as the bird attempted to get back up on the fence repeatedly, and kept falling. Pat was concerned, as the neighbor has large dogs, and via several phone calls made it through to State Patrol, who referred her here. Lyle gently and carefully placed the bird in a pet kennel and waited for volunteer Dan F. to arrive to pick the bird up. Dan had had a busy transport day already and we’re grateful he was able to pick this bird up and take to Phil. Thank you, Dan! This immature bird is extremely thin, probably not hunting successfully, and has a healing fracture to one of his wings. Thank you, Dr. E. and Cindy. Let’s wish this bird a successful rehab and recovery!
Notice the owl-like facial disk on the Northern Harrier. You can’t see in this picture but he also has a white rump patch. As a mature bird, he will look nothing like this picture; he will be gray with black primaries. These birds hunt using low, slow flight over fields and marshes; oftentimes referred to as “marsh hawk” by people that find them. Their diet includes rodents, reptiles, small birds, and large insects. Per Birds of North America, Fred J. Alsop III, they sometimes hunt the edges of fires to capture prey driven out by the flames.
Did you know you can sponsor an animal in rehab at Ellicott Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, to help cover costs of feeding and medical care? Call us at 719-683-8152 or visit us at http://www.ellicottwildlife.com/ for more information.
Michelle was at her mailbox yesterday in Rockrimmon when she noticed this unusual little bird sitting on the ground. When she approached the bird, it didn’t move. It had been cold and rainy, and Michelle was concerned about the the little critter, so she started calling around to find help, and called Wild Bird Center and spoke with Frank, who referred her to call here. Michelle placed the bird in a cardboard box with a towel-exactly the right thing to do-and waited for volunteer Chuck to pick the bird up. We met Chuck and picked up the bird, who turned out to be a common poorwill, a member of the nightjar family. The bird seems healthy and we wonder if perhaps he just got too cold to fly. These birds are commonly found on the ground this time of year in our area. Usually they get cold and can’t fly until they warm up a bit. Although they have seemingly tiny beaks-look at his-these birds have ENORMOUS mouths. They are sometimes difficult to feed in rehab, as these birds eat mainly while flying through the air, mouths wide open, catching moths and other flying insects; primarily a nocturnal bird. These birds also aren’t “height flyers;” they don’t usually fly very high up off the ground, so people sometimes pick them up thinking the bird has a wing injury because of the low flight. When people call us up and say they have found a bird that “looks like tree bark,” almost always the bird is a poorwill. Interesting fact: The common poorwill is the only bird known to hibernate! Food cost in rehab=$1-$2 per day, plus catching live bugs!
Released 10/05-thank you, Louise, for taking him to release!