Rebekah with the Girl Scouts Wagon Wheel Council has been busy for about a year working on her Gold Award project-a very meticulously-planned, well-organized and very important project on prairie biomes. In addition to our Raptor Adaptations program, Rebekah had a full day of programs scheduled, including other programs and presenters, conducted at Hanover Elementary School. An exciting field trip to the Sand Dunes will complete a long year of planning and hard work, and Great Job Rebekah!
The crazy weather-80s one day and snow the next-have kept us hopping, with the phone ringing off the hook as concerned people find wild birds and mammals in distress. The water birds are still coming and a semi-frozen, emaciated chimney swift turned up at the local animal shelter. Along with the intake is release, and today we released a wintered-over goldfinch and that well-rested, plumped-up chimney swift. The fox kits are doing very well and have been moved to outdoor enclosures, where the older ones are staying out overnight with the youngest ones coming in at night.
Volunteer Sharon O’Toole with the grebe, down to the water’s edge…
…where she and Tom give the rested and very well-fed bird back his freedom!
Volunteers Dave and Marah share their pix of our last GHO release couple of months ago with Diana Biggs.
This poor canvas back was rescued by a man who found a couple of “falcon-like” birds pulling feathers from her neck in Larkspur. Her wounds are healing very nicely.
After a weekend snowstorm blanketed parts of the area in wet, heavy snow, our wildlife is found by concerned citizens. More fox kits, rehabber Kris isn’t getting much sleep these days to keep up! Her hard work is paying off, as every one of her kits is doing very well and none have died. Songbirds and cottontails are arriving to rehab. Water birds migrating up here from their winter nesting grounds are having problems with weather and exhaustion. The good news is, most are doing quite well and releases are still happening along with the intakes!
Volunteer Rose DiCenso shares her pictures of her Western Grebe Release…
…and Rose also has amazing pictures of the Monte Vista Crane Festival as well. Thank you for sharing, Rose!
The Swainson’s hawks are back, the meadowlarks and robins are back, and the exhausted hungry waterbirds are migrating back to our parts. Intakes and releases are still keeping us busy, with Roberta Bobcat being released and many other birds. Ferruginous hawk will be released Monday if the weather cooperates. And these poor waterbirds are having a rough go of it because of the weather and their long journey back to Colorado. Thankfully, the grebes and ruddy duck just needed some rest and good feeding before release; no fractured pelvises or other major injuries. Whew!
Lisa was enjoying a wildlife viewing tour thru’ Garden of the Gods when this male Saw Whet Owl hit her windshield. No major injuries and the bird was released.
Lisa received this grebe from her neighbor, who received it from some boys who found it. Volunteer Jeff E. intaked the bird for transport to EWRC rehab, but not before feeding the hungry bird some 20 or so fish before bring the bird to Ellicott!
They’re still coming to rehab and they’re still being released from rehab! All of the fox kits are doing very well. Kelly GHO was taken back to Flagler by Duane for release. Another grebe came to rehab along with a flicker, robin, and a saw whet owl. We’re bracing for a busy spring season…..
DOW Transport Volunteer Penny with the grebe.
The grebe is examined at rehab, and placed in water for rehydration, relaxation, and of course, lunch!
This Western Grebe was found frozen after the snow storm in Strasburg. The man who found him de-iced and fed him proper grebe food-fish-and then got the bird to DOW Travis, who in turn met DOW transport volunteer Penny and handed her the bird, and today Penny brought the bird to Ellicott for exam and care. I’m happy to say the bird looks pretty good and will be released pronto!
The Boyz from Bennett are growing nicely and doing well!
This is an older kit that arrived to rehab.
These kits are brothers, although they look different from each other.
Still just a little early in the season but the brothers from Bennett have been joined by more orphaned fox kits! The kits are coming from the Denver metro area as well as the Pikes Peak area and interestingly, so far are all males. They vary in size/age from the youngest ones from Black Forest, who unfortunately arrived to rehab Friday evening having been skunked, to a larger kit and kits in between. The kits will be raised and socialized appropriate to their own species, prepared for release in outdoor enclosures when they’re big enough and it’s warm enough outside, and released in July-a very long-term rehab! Foxes cost about $8 per day per each to feed, so please leave a cash donation if you are able-we feed our critters frozen/thawed rodents-and we are grateful also for linens and papertowels. Some corporations and employers will match your monetary donation to a nonprofit organization such as our, effectively doubling your donation, and/or donate cash for your volunteer hours to a nonprofit organization. We definitely need all the help we can get!