Alex and his Dad created plans and built a transport/program box for the hawks.
Alex and Troop 77 put a lot of time and effort into building these kestrel boxes; gathering the materials, cutting the sheets of wood, putting the boxes together and hingeing the doors, attaching latches, drilling air holes….
We’d like to give a big THANK YOU to Scout Alex and Troop 77. In addition to building 20 kestrel boxes just in time for busy season, Alex and his dad, Tim, took on a rather ambitious project-building a hawk box for transport and programs for the red-tailed hawks. Alex had to create designs and plans, build a prototype, and then construct the hawk box. The box is perfect and now Alex and Tim are experts!! This Eagle Scout project, boxes and hawk box, was a very time-consuming and expensive project, and we really appreciate your hard work!
Woody coyote from Woodland Park.
Update 05/22/2008. Another young coyote came from Woodland Park to keep Peyton company. Woody is a bit older than Peyton but they now have each other for company, which is the best thing for both.
Peyton resident Susan received a call from her neighbor. Apparently the neighbor noticed her horse out in the pasture doing circles. The neighbor went out and found her horse circling a small coyote pup. The pup was very lethargic. The neighbor picked up the pup and brought to Susan, who proceeded to call around for help, contacting Elaine, who contacted me. Fortunately Susan has some experience with injured animals and was able to begin hydration of the dehydrated pup. Peyton Coyote isn’t out of the woods yet, so to speak. Once he is stable we will try to locate another orphaned pup to place with him, as a lone coyote pup is definitely NOT a good thing. Wish Peyton luck.
Todd’s licensed rehabber caregiver (left) and Dr. Dan Brod. Good work and good news!
This morning fox kit Todd had his followup appointment with Dr. Dan Brod of Deer Creek Animal Hospital. Todd had been hit by a car late one night and was taken to Deer Creek, where Dr. Brod did a 5-1/2 hour surgery to repair his shattered leg. It was a complicated and delicate surgery, and nobody could predict how it would go. Dr. Brod did a fine job and this morning imaging studies showed the leg is healing beautifully and the pins don’t need to come out. What that means is that now Fox Todd is able to be outside in the enclosure full-time, playing, digging, interacting, and healing while enjoying the company of other young foxes his age. Thank you again Dr. Brod, Dr. Todd, and all of you caring people at Deer Creek Animal Hospital in Littleton!
Melodee’s baby birds are very small and fragile. Let’s wish them success!
Update June 3, 2008-Melodee’s finches are feathered and completely self-feeding now! They’re flying in an indoor cage and when the weather is better will be moved to an outdoor enclosure for prerelease training and acclimation!
The other day Colorado Springs resident Melodee opened up her awning and a small nest with baby birds fell out and onto the lawn. Two of the babies didn’t survive the fall. Melodee did exactly the right thing-she picked up the surviving babies, placed them back into the nest, and placed the nest back very close to where she thought it had been. Then she went inside and waited, watching to see if the parent birds would return to resume care of their babies. After 24 hours, it appeared they weren’t coming back. Melodee brought the nest with the babies inside and proceeded to look for help. The babies are here in rehab now, and so far doing okay. We hope for a successful rehab and release for them later in the summer.
Please note that mother birds (except for vultures) can NOT smell your hands on their babies and will not reject babies because you’ve handled them, unless some damage occurred during the accident or handling. Baby birds are on a very stringent feeding schedule and the proper diet and regular feedings are crucial to their growth. It is common for baby birds to be fed every 10 minutes, sunup to sundown for several days, with gradual increases to every 30 minutes, etc. This is how the parents feed them and we rehabbers must do the same, which is why there are SO FEW baby bird rehabbers; this is a time committment that can’t be taken lightly. Also, proper diet is crucial. Baby birds don’t drink cow’s milk. They don’t eat bread, oatmeal, or people food. Some are insect eaters, some seed eaters, some prey consumers, etc. Because of an incredible amount of growth in a very short period of time, proper diet is key for healthy bones, metabolism, and feathers, Sunlight is important for healthy eyes. Also, it is AGAINST THE LAW for anyone without a State and Federal issued permit to possess any and all wildlife you find, so when you find wildife that is sick, injured, or orphaned please locate your local wildlife agency and/or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. We have resources for you whether you’re in Colorado or another state at http://www.ellicottwildlife.com/. You can click on the orange Help button and locate people to help you.
Update June 9, 2008-Shiloh is doing quite well, cruising around the big flight enclosure and seems to be spending most of the time with Ace GHO from Schriever AFB.
Young GHO was found on the roadside after his nest ‘way up high in a pine tree was destroyed by winds. The tree sits right next to the highway, and no sign of the parents. So young Shiloh came to rehab. Shiloh enjoys quality time with GHO foster mom Hootie, and had close attention from Cheryl and Phil while we were away. Shiloh is growing quite a bit and wants absolutely nothing to do with us people, which is EXACTLY what we want to see. We anticipate a late summer/early fall release for Shiloh. Thank you again to Cheryl and Phil.
He who yells the loudest gets the most fish!
One of the things I love about Sanibel area in Florida is there are osprey platforms EVERYWHERE, and this time of year is fun to watch the nest activity. This particular platform on Sanibel had 2 youngsters in the nest, screaming nonstop, and a couple of very tired- and harried-looking parents.
This one flung his fresh-caught fish over the branch, shook the water off his feathers, and yelled for everyone to come and see what he got!
This is tough, but if you look carefully and squint just a little, you might see the bobcat’s face in the picture. Ding Darling is a drive, walk, or bike-thru’ wildlife preserve, and there’s no telling what you might see during different times of the day. There are no cages; all the animals are free.
Raccoons out during the daytime. The Sanctuary is home to tidal raccoons and nocturnal raccoons.
A marsh rabbit spotted just before dusk; looks quite a bit different than the cottontails we’re used to seeing in our work here in Colorado.
What a treat to watch the abundance and variety of water birds at Ding Darling. A couple of ibises look for food.
Male and female woodpeckers at the Bailey Tract portion of Ding Darling. This is walk-thru or bike-thru only; no cars allowed. Lots of ponds to walk around, and LOTS of heat and humdity, too! We wondered what else we would see at Bailey Tract….
Lots of turtles resting on logs in shallow ponds; some were pretty big.
We found a pond and wondered, what in the world lives in there? Turned out, alligators lived in there, and we saw plenty. Locals informed us, however, that alligators are also regular occupants of golf courses.
And on the beach, of course, lots of shore birds, running as fast as they can, digging up food, and almost always staying just out of reach of the waves that come along every few seconds.
A few days spent in Florida, for a brief period of R&R in anticipation of another very long busy summer baby season. We visited C.R.O.W. Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel, where Anita was a most gracious hostess. The Center enjoys outstanding community support, as well as what I imagine is one of the best locations to conduct their hard work; on an island in an area that will never be developed, with US Fish and Wildlife Service literally across the street for easy access, the J. N. Ding Darling willdife sanctuary all around, and a quiet, peaceful, beautiful environment. We came back with some ideas…..