Picture taken from window during blizzard.
Drifts 5+ feet high.
Drifts up to tops of enclosures.
Phil standing on a 5-foot drift in front of barn.
Thursday morning was sunny, 50+ degrees, and very, very still. The weather reports predicted blizzard conditions headed our way but we’ve heard that before, with no storm materializing. Still, we figured, better safe than sorry. If the storm didn’t materialize, then fine. Heaven knows we could sure use the moisture-we’ve had no significant moisture around here the last couple of years and our dry, crispy conditions combined with daily summer lightning storms and careless use of flammables have made for scary fires the last couple of years. So we leisurely kenneled up the hawks, falcons, owls, songbirds, dux, and ol’ Bubba the rooster before work, bringing them inside the tiny house, just in case the blizzard actually did happen. We made sure to bring in some animal food from the barn, too, since the snow tends to drift all the way to the roof of that barn, making it impossible to open the door to reach the food for the critters. Within a couple of hours the sky darkened and the wind picked up. No biggie. We both headed to work with the animals safely and noisily kenneled up inside the house. Phil called when he got to work to say the snow had begun in north Colorado Springs. In Ellicott it was darker and much windier but still no big deal. An hour later the snow started. Phil called to say it was nuts in the ‘Springs. People were leaving their jobs early so they could get home. In Ellicott the storm was here! Within a few short hours we had gone from sunny and warm to screaming wind, flying snow, zero visibility, and drifts beginning to form. Thankfully the electricity and phones were still working. Phil called to say he was going to try to make it home from work because after dark it would be impossible and it was very likely the highway leading home would be closed. If it were impossible to get home he was going to overnight with the O’Toole family on the east side of town. By now the winds were howling in Ellicott, the drifts were already pretty substantial, and doubtful Phil would make it home. But he did. In anticipation of the power going out-which in our area can be for days after a blizzard-we made sure we had enough firewood for heat. The noise was incredible from outside and the house was shaking but we figured we should try to get some sleep. The carbon monoxide detector went off and try as we could there wasn’t any way to safely keep it from beeping. Finally we opened some windows on the east-facing side of the house and tried once again to sleep. The rooster inside crowed and the dux quacked all night long so sleep wasn’t a possibility! We got up tired and cold Friday morning, and conditions hadn’t improved much . We waited several hours until the snow and wind stopped, then finally chiseled open the iced-over doors to have a look outside. It wasn’t gonna be a good day. After feeding and watering the now restless and bored critters we had brought inside, none of which would have survived had we left them outside, we knew we had to start digging out, beginning with the front door! Eventually we made it out to the end of the driveway, where a drift blocked the entire entrance. We shoveled for a couple of hours and a man with a backhoe stopped to help us out! In less than a half-hour he had plowed us out. It would have taken us hours to do it by hand. Back to the cages we climbed over drifts to survey the damages. The tall cages fared pretty well. The shorter ones had snow drifted all the way up to the ceilings! We shoveled as much as we possibly could, knowing it would be best for all involved to get the critters back outside as quickly as possible. For sure, the pole barn would have come in VERY HANDY during this situation, if we had one-see home page. Overnight the rooster crowed and the ducks quacked again. But we were warm. This morning the sun is coming up, we have electricity, phones, and Internet, and in a few hours we’ll begin moving the critters back outside, having survived another blizzard on the eastern plains of Colorado.
The brothers are eating and growing well…
…and increasingly more curious about their environment!
Good news! Kris reports that all 4 of the kitz from Bennett are going to make it! They’ve been through so much, arriving to rehab cold, starved, dehydrated, and very sick. Over the course of the last couple of weeks Kris has been up with them ’round-the-clock, making sure they’ve been warm, dry, well-fed, and constantly subcu’d and hydrated, treated for their GI problems. Now all of them have their eyes are open and they are exploring their world.
Brianne interacts with Maya, IMNC coydog.
Sunday evening Ellicott Wildlife and Indigo Mountain presented a free program at the DOW. Attendees included seasoned wildlife watchers and volunteers, and topics included springtime wildlife, spring babies, and coexisting responsibly with wildlife. It was a beautiful warm weekend and the Monte Vista Crane Festival drew quite a crowd as well!
Kelly GHO, a young male, came to rehab after suffering a head trauma in Flagler. He came via DOW Duane, and April drove the bird all the way to Ellicott; about a 2-hour drive! Kelly arrived to rehab blind but in pretty decent body condition otherwise. This GHO needs to be manually fed currently but is kept in an outdoor enclosure after regaining his sight. After good rehydration Kelly produced the stinkiest, most ginormous pellet we’ve seen in quite a while-SKUNK!
And speaking of owl pellets, edu ambassador Hootie now has a paying job-her pellets are being purchased by a company that supplies pellets for educational purposes. This serves a dual purpose-recycle, of course, and in this time of financial hardship helps to feed and maintain Hootie.
Bennett arrived the day after Cooper, very dehydrated and cold.
The kits’ eyes have just opened but they are drinking specially-prepared formula from a dish.
A full, contented kit has a big yawn before snuggling back under the soft, fleecy blankets provided by Alison, and back onto the heating discs.
Phil holds a kit while the bedding and heat discs are changed.
Turns out Jeanette is a REAL life saver! Fox kit Cooper, originally thought to be the only survivor of his den after his mother got killed by a car, has siblings that survived as well. Thank goodness for Jeanette and her husband, who went back to the site in the evening and found another kit out, alone and wandering in near-dark, crying for food. Bennett joined his brother Cooper in rehab yesterday and you’ll never guess what-Jeanette went out again this morning, just to be sure no cold, hungry kits were left behind and found 2 more kits-siblings of Coop and Ben. Each day that goes by brings these kits in worse shape than the day before, needing critical care, including warming up, de-lousing, significant rehydration, and other care before the round-the-clock feedings and care can be instituted. A big THANK YOU to Linda and Bob for the transport, and of course to Jeanette and her husband for saving these young lives, and a big HANG IN THERE! to EWRC rehabber Kris, who is providing the care and overnight feedings for these kits.
Orphaned fox kit-first kit of the season! Eyes just opening. Mother killed by car. ”Cooper” is the only surviving kit of his litter.
Update: Released!
Western Screech Owl (not a baby!) found by Richard after being peeled off a car grill by Rick and William at the Broadmoor.
It’s early March. The grass (weeds!) is turning green, the bulbs are shooting up, Daylight Savings Time starts in a few hours. The birds are busily building nests. And now the phone is ringing with baby squirrel calls. In a few short weeks we’ll be up to our eyeballs in baby wildlife calls-birds and mammals. Are we ready yet?!