This is the scene up and down Highway 94 in Ellicott. Hundreds of utility poles, broken and snapped like toothpicks with the remaining upright lines sagging to the ground beneath the weight of the ice that coated them.
Life in Ellicott-when it’s good, it’s sublime. When it’s bad, it’s horrible! We’ve been here 7 years and are still trying to adjust the extremes that come and go so quickly and oftentimes without warning. Blizzards and white-outs in winter, tornadoes in summer. Tuesday was another one of those days. We got up in the morning and it was very windy; not at all unusual for this locale. We loaded up the birds and headed over to Schriever AFB to do an Earth Week program. When the program was over we headed the 8 or so miles back to the facility and upon arrival here, a white-out was beginning. We went outside and proceeded to gather up all the critters and brought inside. Started to return baby bird and baby bunny phone calls, and that’s when the power went out! No lights, no heat, no water, no phone. It wasn’t so bad at first but by nighttime started to get very cold. Yesterday we had a problem with water-as in there wasn’t any-for us and the animals. Again it was cold but we could see utilities crews up and down Highway 94, working on repairing the broken poles that looked like they’d been snapped like toothpicks, and downed lines that collapsed under the weight of the ice. Again we so appreciate these utilities workers; people out there working in conditions that are nowhere near ideal, not to mention hazardous. Eventually the electricity came back last night-yay! Today we have alot of catching up to do-moving animals and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. It would be really nice to have a pole barn and a generator for times like these-where the critters can be out of the elements AND out of the house, and a generator for a backup!
Duane from the DOW sent some pix of the turkey vulture he released for us back to Hugo several days ago. A perfect release and thanks, Duane, for the release and the pictures!
Looks like the bullsnakes are out and about! This one is about 3+ feet long.
Over the years people have asked why we spend so much money on good 1/2 x 1 inch wiring for the outdoor animal enclosures. One reason is flexibility; we can house every size from hummingbird to hawk in a given enclosure. Another reason is safety; this wire is too small for a head or leg to get caught in. Another most important reason is predator-proofing. In Ellicott that can mean weasels, coyotes, dogs, and SNAKES! We are home to garter snakes, rattlesnakes, and bull snakes. Although these snakes are beneficial and do serve a purpose, we don’t want them in our animal enclosures! Smaller snakes can squeeze through wire and around doors. We’ve found large snakes coiled up by the entrance doors. Bullsnakes like this one grow upward of 3-4 feet and I’ve seen them go up a tree to try to get baby birds out of a nest! On occasion a snake will get into a raptor cage not made of half-by-one, and is quickly dispatched by the birds and eaten.
We fell in love with the birds and kept them. They’re growing like weeds!
Here we are, not quite 2 weeks after Easter, and I can see that once again, our message isn’t reaching the people it needs to. The phone is already ringing with people that want to dump their impulse Easter gifts-living; breathing, baby animals. Each year I’m mad, sad, and hugely disappointed all at the same time. How often must we educate about the fates of these unwanted animals? Do people think there are places that keep them alive, happily ever after? Do people think that dumping these imprinted babies with no survival skills in the park someplace is a good idea, so they can starve to death or be food for bigger animals? What do we have to do to get the point across that impulse animal gifts can be CRUEL? Honestly, who thinks a baby duck or chick or rabbit is going to stay a baby forever? Who’s going to clean up after and care for that animal? It’s cruel and irresponsible, what I see and go through this time every year, and it can be so easily prevented.
Today Alison called me about a lady who had an experience at Prospect Lake today and needed help. I called the lady, Stella, who informed me that this afternoon she and her husband were enjoying a walk at Prospect Lake when they were approached by a duckling and a “baby raptor” that followed them all around. They were perplexed at the behavior and felt sorry for the babies, as they appeared so hungry. Stella picked the birds up and brought them home. I appreciated Stella’s care and concern, but knew that it wasn’t likely a baby raptor following a duck around. Volunteers Cheryl and Phil picked the birds up on their way home from work and brought to EWRC, and what I saw was exactly what I feared: imprinted/tame, hungry, babies-a duckling and a baby chicken, obviously dumped at the park by people that didn’t want them anymore. I’m guessing the two birds were picked up before Easter at a feed store or someplace, taken home, cuddled and played with by people, then dumped to fend for themselves at a lake where potential predators abound. The hungry, thirsty birds wolfed down all their food, drank mightily from a water dish, and tonight will be made very comfortable. We are a wildlife facility and these birds aren’t wildlife. Tomorrow they will likely be taken to an animal shelter, where honestly, who do you think is going to take them home now? What do you think will happen to these birds? You may not like the answer but it beats starving to death or being eaten alive by a predator. I am SO tired of saying it but will say it again right now:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put some thought into a pet BEFORE getting one and impulse gifts of live beings might not be a “gift” to anyone-including that live critter who has put its life in your hands. BE RESPONSIBLE!!!!
“Romeo” is brought inside because the nights are still very cold and we don’t want him to freeze. He is rinsed off, rehydrated, and will adjust on his own schedule before being placed back outside when the weather is better. This was his 2nd hibernation outdoors at EWRC.
Although the weather has been terrible the last few days, we’ve stood in the yard and watched snow geese-yep, snow geese, in Ellicott, fly overhead. Next was turkey vultures. Yesterday and today a pair of prairie falcons sitting on top of the songbird enclosure. Then this morning we went out to bring Bill’s saw whet owl in for release, and there was Romeo, out of hibernation! Looking good, too. This is Romeo’s 2nd successful hibernation and coming out of hibernation at EWRC. Romeo came to us a couple of years ago, picked up because he was following people around at Garden of the Gods; probably somebody’s pet, dumped outside after they didn’t want him anymore. I find the turtles coming out of hibernation exciting because I’ve been told in nature up to half of them don’t survive either the hibernation and/or the coming out of hibernation process. Last year 100% of our turtles survived hibernation and hibernation coming-out, and now we’re waiting for the others to come out. I believe the reason they’ve done so well is because the enclosure they’re in was built by Adam V., Boy Scout and his Troop, a large, protected enclosure dug down almost 4 feet, wired to the sides, that allows the turtles to dig down the natural way to hibernate. Then volunteer Mike W. brings us big bags of leaves to place over the ground, keeping the ground moist and the turtles from dehydrating in our dry soil. So woo hoo, hello Romeo!!
Who will care for the hundreds of baby birds and mammals this year? We’re already feeling the pinch as we’re receiving calls from other rehabbers and rehab facilities in our State. We need help!
Another year, another shortage of licensed wildlife rehabilitators in our area. The calls are already coming from rehabbers and rehab centers from north of us to take animals and calls they can’t handle because they’re already full. We run into this problem every single year, but usually not until May; the problem has started earlier this year. What this means is that animals will be euthanized because resources are so limited. Most of us in Colorado work from our homes; space is limited. Nobody funds us our pays us to do this work; money is very limited. Without donations we cannot feed and provide care for these hundreds of sick, injured, and orphaned animals so they are euthanized. Thera are so few of us rehabbers and we can only do so much; we need more licensed, quality wildlife rehabilitators to care for these animals. Without licensed rehabbers to pick these animals up, they are euthanized. What are we going to do in 2007?
We’ve taken the fox kits and squirrel babies that we can for right now. Now baby raccoons are turning up. Nobody to take them; raccoon rehabbers are either full or filling up already. One of our rehabbers had a call yesterday that just sickened her. A young raccoon in the Highline Canal’s mother apparently was hit by a car. This starved youngster was approaching people that were walking, touching their legs, begging for food. How sad is that? Whose responsibility is it to care for this baby? We sent a volunteer out to try to locate the youngster but couldn’t find him. Was he lying in the grass or near a tree somewhere, slowly starving to death? Did something bigger come along during the night and eat him?
What about baby birds? Nobody wants to take on this responsibility; baby birds require every 15-minute feedings, sunup to sundown, for several days until self-feeding. What this means is no days off, no picnics, barbeques, graduations, or even shaving our legs! The baby bird rehabber in Colorado Springs needs to take the year off this year. If I didn’t have to work a regular full-time job and if I were paid to do it, I’d take the baby birds myself. My work schedule doesn’t allow it right now and my finances don’t allow me to work without pay. EWRC can take all self-feeding birds, and baby water birds and baby raptors. Baby water birds feed themselves and we have fosters for baby raptors. So what do we do? There is a fine, outstanding baby bird rehabber in Pueblo but her space and financial resources are limited as well; it wouldn’t be fair to dump on her.
And baby bunnies. These are heartbreakers. In our area, few have good luck with neonate cottontails. After taking in so many that don’t do so well, rehabbers just give up. But yet these babies keep coming in. What will happen to these babies, and the others? It’s going to be a long season indeed.
We need help! We need money to buy food, medical supplies, build more outdoor enclosures. We need quality licensed rehabbers to help out. What we REALLY need is for people to make sure an animal needs help BEFORE it is picked up. Is it really orphaned? Can it be safely returned to its nest? What can each of us do to help prevent problems these animals encounter?
Please contact us for information at 719-683-8152
EWRC, P.O. Box 75069, Colorado Springs, CO. 80970
www.ellicottwildlife.com
Elliott is the larger of the fox, enjoying supervised visits with the smaller foxes.
Fox calls are coming in from as far away as Longmont. EWRC rehabber Kris received 2 young fox kits from another rehab facility north of Denver because they had too many. These youngsters apparently walked right up to a woman that was outside walking; obviously needed help. About a week later came a guy by himself, Elliott, a fox a bit older and larger. Elliott was found by a woman in Denver that found him sitting in her yard, crying for hours. She opened her gate, thinking the mother fox might come or the kit might go find her. Neither happened, and she just couldn’t bear the sight and sound of the poor, distressed baby in her yard. So she ultimately found Kris after naming the kit Elliott and brought him to Kris. Elliott was a very unhappy fox with some bizarre behavior. Kris wondered if he’d been picked up and then dumped by someone that found him. His response to humans wasn’t what it should have been. Also he cried and howled every night, all night. Thinking he might enjoy some fox companionship, Kris placed his kennel near the younger kits. Elliott was a bit too big and rough to be placed with the younger two for extended periods of time. Rehabber Cec in Florence was kind enough to take Elliott to place with her single fox, fortunately the same size and age as Elliott. Cec reported this morning that her seemingly lonely fox enjoyed the company of Elliott and vice versa. Two together are better than one alone! And thank you, Cec, for helping like you always do! And thank you to Elliott’s finder and her neighbor, for the generous donations you made to provide food for Elliott, who will be in rehab until July.
Bill called Louise, his coworker, when he found this Northern Saw Whet Owl on his lawn. Just so happens Louise is a DOW wildlife transport volunteer and knew how to help Bill by referring him to call EWRC. Bill called us, DOW transport volunteer Chuck picked up the owl and met Phil. We hope to release Bill’s bird Tuesday.
The “blizzard” has passed, everyone’s outside again, and we’re watching another storm on Monday/Tuesday. After that we’re hoping for some major releases-the Northern Shovelers from north of Denver, the Coronado High School hawk, the turkey vulture from Hugo (released 4-19), a Swainson’s hawk that was wintered over (released 4-19), perhaps Pearl, the American Kestrel, and Bill’s Saw Whet Owl (released 4-17) that came from Manitou a few days ago. Julie’s flicker from Monument (released 4-22.) We’ll keep you posted! Meanwhile, the spring baby season has hit and we’re intaking and rearranging squirrels, birds, and fox kits, preparing as best we can for baby raccoons and more birds of every variety! Please remember, don’t be a baby-napper! Try to determine if the baby is truly orphaned before picking it up. Babies do best with their natural parents and we are particularly short on licensed rehabbers this year, so there will be fewer resources in our area this year, particularly baby birds, as they require feedings every 15 minutes, sunup to sundown, with no days off! Most of us work regular jobs so are not able to take baby birds into rehab. Healthy babies are euthanized when there is nobody available to provide care, so really PLEASE think about it before picking up babies! Also remember when leaving wildlife with the vet or rehabber, please leave a donation if you can for the person taking care of that animal-rehab is costly and nobody funds us or pays us-we often purchase food with our own paychecks!!! If you can’t afford to donate cash, bring some towels or paper towels, other items you can spare. Thanks!
Looks like we’re going to have a busy summer again. In addition to wildlife rehab, we’re expanding educational programs in our communities, thanks to the generosity of high school students from around the State and the EPYCS program. We’re in the process of completing 2 enclosures outside and thanks to the generosity of ACE Hardware in the ’Springs, we are doubling the size of the hawk enclosure.
Also very exciting-a very generous contribution was made to EWRC to double the size of the DOW raptor flight enclosure and intall a misting system to keep the birds cool and hydrated in the summertime!
If you’re interested in volunteering to help build these projects, or if you or your organization are interested in sponsoring a project, please contact us for more information.
Yesterday morning Marianne noticed a very small squirrel underneath a tall pine tree in her yard. She looked up into the tree but could see no nest or squirrel activity. Marianne figured leaving the squirrel would be best; maybe the mother squirrel would come. Later on Marianne noticed the squirrel was crying and rolling around, in distress. She placed the squirrel in a safe place. When her husband came home they placed the baby in a comfy shoebox, brought inside, and began searching online for help. Meanwhile, their younger daughters had a peek at the baby and named her Valentine. There was a lot of information out there online regarding squirrel care; some sites stated raising baby squirrels without a license is illegal, which is true in Colorado, while other sites offered information on how to raise baby squirrels. Rod and Marianne talked it over and decided that it wasn’t wise to raise baby wildlife around their young children-absolutely correct!-and proceeded to search, ultimately contacting EWRC. We called DOW transport volunteer Dave, who drove all the way out there to pick up the baby. Valentine seems pretty healthy and is on regular feedings. In a day or so she’ll join EWRC rehabber Kris’ other baby squirrels, similar in size.
Earlier today I had a message from Tasha in Hugo. Seems she found a rather large, unusual-looking bird in her garage. She was concerned that the bird didn’t look so good. She also called Rick Mooney at the Hugo Sheriff Department who called as well, stating he could go after work and get the bird out of Tasha’s garage. Meanwhile I had contacted my DOW officer Jeromy, figuring it would be impossible to arrange a transport on such a crummy day, so far away. Jeromy contacted DOW officer Duane, who happened to be in Hugo on business today, and Duane said he’d get the bird from Rick and bring to Ellicott. When Duane went to get the bird, a neighbor said he saw the bird stroll into Tasha’s garage earlier. Tasha was concerned about a dragging wing. The bird has perked up since intake, is now standing and looking alert. We’ll keep you posted…….
Turkey vultures serve an important purpose. You can think of them as “nature’s garbage pick-up,” helping clean up the environment by eating carrion/road kill. Look at this bird’s adaptations and see if you can figure out what helps this bird do its job efficiently!
Update-April 20-DOW technician Duane picked up the vulture and released him back to Hugo this morning. Duane is going to send us some release pictures that we’ll post here.
Update-April 11-the bird is now flying well and we’re hoping for a weekend release!
Yesterday we brought Twin Flame back to the US Olympic Training Center, back to Linda and Suzy, the ladies who picked her up after her collision with the 3rd floor window. The Flame took off like a champ, up into a tree, and soon the excited crows showed up. She flew out of the tree and over to Memorial Hospital. The ladies at the USOC told us they’ve seen another red-tailed hawk in the area; who knows, maybe her mate? Thank you also for the donated items!!
Suzy on the left, the bird and Phil in the middle, and Linda on the right.
And there she goes!!!
Update-April 4, 2007-Baby Hewie is looking good! He’s up and walking about on his full-sized owl feet, eating more than twice what adult Hootie eats, and coughing up pellets.
Update-April 6, 2007-Baby Hewie left this morning for Pueblo Raptor Center, where he will have the companionship of siblings-some orphaned GHOs about his age, which is a wonderful thing for him! Pueblo will send Hewie back in July or so, back for release at Hewlett-Packard where he came from! Thank you, Diana Miller, for being so kind as always with sharing your fantastic facilities! Thank you to Cheryl and Don for getting him to Pueblo during rush hour! Diana called this afternoon to say Hewie is doing great, looking good, took a real shine to foster owl Yeti, and seems very interested in his new “siblings.”
Update-April 11-Don tells me today that Hewie is growing incredibly fast, which these birds do at this age, and now we’re waiting to see-is Hewie a boy or a girl???
I know that the folks at Hewlett-Packard Colorado Springs really care about wildlife-in particular, their great horned owls! Each year for the last several years, right about this time, they call when the birds are getting themselves out of the nest, just wanting to make sure everything’s okay. Last year they called when their fledgling GHOs disappeared-turns out they toodled down the hill to the pond and were fine, according to HP security, Matt Steed. The owls typically take up residence in a big old pine tree and use an abandoned corvid nest that fortunately is eye-level with the HP breakroom window, where employees enjoy watching the progress of the birds, from eggs to young adults. Last summer the old pine died due to beetle and had to be removed. So guess what HP did? They brought in and planted a new, mature, big pine tree for the owls to replace the dead one! So several weeks ago they began watching the owls’ progress. A couple of weeks ago one of the chicks ended up out of the nest, a very small baby, and Scott, Cathy, and Ted went out there to help. They placed the chick in a very sturdy and secure replacement nest. Unfortunately, the owl mother was unable or chose not to care for the chick and it died. Maybe the chick was defective. Maybe the simple fact that she can’t keep 2 babies warm if they’re in separate places was the problem, something we learned from Sigrid on Monday. We won’t know for sure. So the other day Scott called to say that the 2nd baby was out of the nest. We called the DOW and asked what they would recommend we do, as moving baby birds of all kinds is VERY serious business, not to mention illegal without proper permits, and they said it would be all right to bring Baby Hewlett to EWRC to be fostered by Hootie, GHO foster mom. Phil and I went out to HP and found the baby looked pretty well-cared for. Both parents were right up above us, clacking and upset, and seeing as Cathy and Ted’s nest seemed so good, we decided to place Baby Hewey back into it. We asked Matt and Aaraon to keep an eye on him and if he ended up on the ground again, to give us a call, as each landing on the ground could result in broken bones and injuries. Yesterday morning Matt called from Hewlett-Packard to inform me the baby was again on the ground and this time, there were no parents to be found. The weather has been cold, rainy, and windy the last few days. We wonder if he’s getting blown out of the nest. Sitting on the ground at night makes him prey to fox and other predators. So DOW volunteer Dave went out to pick up the baby and bring to EWRC, where Baby Hewlett will be fostered by Hootie until time to go back to Hewlett-Packard.
You can help with the feeding and care of Baby Hewlett by sponsoring him-call, e-mail, or write for more information.
Aaron Langevin from Hewlett-Packard shares his photo of Baby Hewie from Monday, after placed back in nest.
Baby Hewie is eating well and looking good, enjoying the company of Hootie.
As wildlife rehabbers, we are often told we should “just let nature take its course.” However, the majority of bad things that happen to the animals we see has nothing to do with nature at all. We deal with car hits, poisonings, power line accidents, abuse, and a variety of other things; things related directly to us humans.
The hardest issues for me to deal with personally are the ones that were not only preventable but brought on by outright deliberate cruelty. I once had a bird brought to me with a metal dart in its chest. The many that are tortured by dogs and cats. Last year one of our rehabbers had a fox kit brought to her for rehab after somebody had illegally captured it and let their pit bulls tear it up. That animal had been previously torn up because the vet doing surgery to put its guts back together also found a surgical pin in place, in the animal’s leg. How many times, I wonder, had that poor animal been tortured by the dogs? Year before last were the people that didn’t like the fox kits in their yard so they trapped one in their garage, figuring if they waited long enough in the heat, without food or water, sooner or later it would die. The neighbor heard the noise coming from the garage and reported it to the authorities. The fox was brought to EWRC for rehab and a few days later, the neighbor heard more noise out of that garage and once again the DOW had to go out and confiscate the sibling, again brought to EWRC for rehab. Both did well and were released. I once had a cottontail brought to me by a woman that found some kids poking its eye out in Palmer Park. Another one came to me after being hit at close range by a kid with a paint ball gun, which does a lot of damage, with grown people cheering him on while he tortured the terrified animal. I had a duck brought to me once after the dog snapped its leg in half. I could go on but I won’t; I think you get the picture.
Last week a rehabber I know had a call from a vet after a woman grabbed a cottontail from some kids that were burning its face, feet, and body with lighters. The fur is so badly burnt it can’t be removed to treat the wounds underneath; it would just make them worse. The bunny is so terrified she’s difficult to treat, but fortunately this particular rehabber is excellent with rabbits and we’re optimistic the rabbit will recover.
I can’t help but wonder, like I so often do, what’s the matter with people? Stiff penalties and fines for harassing ALL wildlife aside, why can some people be so cruel to animals? I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand it. It’s one of the day-to-day realities of the work we do but really, nobody wants to talk about it. It’s too depressing.
However, you know what keeps us going on those days when we feel like we’re wasting our time? Not only do we know our work matters to the individual animals we strive to save, but on the opposite side of the cruelty coin is the kind side-the side where these people jump in and grab an animal from its abusers or report abusers to authorities. It’s the people on restricted income that pull a few dollars out of their wallets, donating to help us care for their animals. It’s the people, too many to mention, that take the time to pull over after the fox is hit by the car and babies are along the roadside that take the time to call several agencies until they find the right help for their situation. It’s the rancher who is beside himself mad that somebody shot his hawk out of the sky. It is the people that truly appreciate and understand the benefit and beauty we all enjoy from our native wildlife, and that help ensure they stay healthy and safe, that make me keep doing my wildlife rehab work on long days where I wonder why.
This cottontail suffered severe injuries after being tortured with lighters. She’s getting better and her abusers have been visited by the authorities.
… over a nest site! Each spring the robins come and raise a brood or two in their nest in the big juniper tree. This year they showed up with the doves, and the race was on to see who would win the nest. Those robins can be pretty territorial this time of year and I was quite surprised to see this dove sitting on the robin nest! It seems the robins have now relocated to the skinny little pine in back.
