Bobby the red-tailed hawk was found under some power lines at Fort Carson. This situation will be very touch-and-go, as the bird is not in good body condition and has suffered obvious injuries. Please wish him well!
Good thing Kim, who was at work at Schriever AFB late Sunday afternoon, noticed this young male great horned owl, who apparently had smacked into some glass windows, suffering a pretty major head trauma. Kim’s son chose a name for the owl-Ace. The bird is blind, and we hope this is only temporary. Thank you to volunteers Phil and Cheryl, who went and picked up the owl, and brought him to rehab.
Look at Scooter! Standing up on his own 2 feet, flying and landing, making progress!
It’s been a busy intake time, and baby season’s not even here! The weather has been decent but the critters are still running into problems. On a good note, Scooter red-tailed hawk is making good, steady progress and has graduated to an outdoor flight; quite a big deal for a bird that came without use of his legs!
Released March 10 at Fountain Creek Nature Center.
Redhead duck pitter-pattered across the surface of the water at Fountain Creek Nature Center before being joined by a group of mallards. We hiked up to the observation tower and looked through the viewer, and watched the happy duck splash and swim contentedly for quite some time before moving out of sight.
Phil releases the duck into the water.
The other day Susan’s kids were outside playing in her central Colorado Springs back yard when they noticed the dog was chewing on something. Upon closer inspection they noticed it was a duck. They went in and got Susan, who picked up the bird and noticed a bloody wing and LOTS of bugs. She eventually came into contact with Animal Emergency Care Center South, where she brought the duck for treatment. A thorough exam revealed no fractures; just a wing bite from the dog and LOTS of bugs. Volunteer Tom picked up the redhead duck to come to EWRC for rehab. My guess is that redhead duck became very tired while on his way to where he wanted to be, and just landed where he could. Redhead duck was treated for stress, (thank you Alison,) and bugs, the wing bite doesn’t seem too major, and we hope for a speedy recovery and release.
Coco and Chica were abandoned after Easter; Chica to the Humane Society and Coco left all alone to wander the neighborhood before being attacked by a raccoon, leaving her partially paralyzed.
Like so many hundreds of others each year, these babies were dumped at a local park after Easter, left totally unprepared to fend for themselves. They were ultimately picked up after chasing people around, begging for food.
Personally, I feel that at Easter time baby bunnies, ducklings, and chicks should be hidden in basements at the retailers rather than offered up in cardboard boxes at the cash register for impulse buyers like the living, breathing sacrifices they are, with the downy fluff of chicks sometimes dyed ridiculous colors to attract buyers.
Easter is coming, and I think we can all agree there’s nothing cuter than a downy chick or a fluffy little bunny. These critters can be found just about everywhere this time of year and it’s hard to resist the appeal of one of these babies, so people often pick them up as an impulse Easter gift. However, in my experience, after several hours or days the reality sets in that these animals require lots of care and aren’t as interactive as many other types of animals can be. Chicks and ducklings have special heat and food, not to mention socialization needs. Ducklings dropped into a tub of water are likely to either drown or freeze to death, as downy feathers aren’t properly oiled. and water- and weather-proofed yet. A rabbit confined in a hutch for the rest of its life, I think, is a very sad bunny. Bunnies need space to run, jump, and play. Rabbits are sensitive, inquisitive, interactive creatures that make wonderful pets, given the time, space, understanding of physical needs and maintenance, and supervision they need, as rabbits have a need to chew constantly to keep their teeth trimmed and healthy and therefore will chew on anything and everything, and not necessarily the chew toys you provide for them. I question the quality of life of a rabbit kept in a small hutch outside in the yard, victim of weather, predators, and loneliness. Another thing to keep in mind is veterinary care. Does your vet treat rabbits? Is your vet experienced in rabbit care, anesthesia, and spay/neuter of rabbits? Is the pet recipient allergic to birds and/or bunnies? Shortly after Easter my phone starts to ring with calls from people that no longer wish to keep these animals. The kids have long since tired of the animals and the adults are relegated to cleaning up after them. Often these unprepared babies are dumped at local parks to fend for themselves. People will call us wanting to know if we’ll keep their now unwanted pets. Ours is a wildlife care facility and we don’t take unwanted pets. I’ve come home from work and found cardboard boxes on the porch; God only knows how long they’ve been sitting there in the heat, with live animals in them that people will just leave here. Other times these animals will be dumped in a park someplace, having no survival skills whatsoever, or taken to the shelter once the initial appeal wears off. So we ask you, please REALLY stop and think before bringing one of these critters home. Think of a pet as a lifelong commitment, not a disposable commodity. Perhaps a plush stuffed animal is a better choice for everyone?
The cottontails outside are busily preparing for babies!
Today we get to enjoy a 1-day “miracle;” temperatures up to 60 degrees! It’s been a long arctic-feeling winter. A day like today means the EWRC outdoor water pumps are thawed out, allowing us to catch up on cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Chipping ice out of water dishes and hauling water from the house is no fun at all. Max, Buddy, and Daffy’s pool has been frozen solid and welded to the ground by ice. Today I rolled the ice out, like a great big yukky donut, and cleaned and filled the pool-several times! The birds are enjoying water sports and splash all the water out. I see the first robin of spring today. Laurie in Falcon says she saw her first bluebird just the other day. The sparrows are flying grass and other nest-building items about. I know that soon the 3 downy woodpeckers and chickadees that spend the winters here will be moving on. The great-horned owls are making a commotion each evening. Soon the Swainson’s hawks will make an incredibly long journey back from Argentina, their wintering grounds, and I’ll look for them up on the utility poles, ready to release some that I’ve wintered over. We received our first baby squirrel call of the season last week. Alas, tomorrow is expected to be cold and snowy again. We must enjoy the sunshine and warmth while we can. But I do believe Spring is on its way!