Our sincerest THANK YOU to Miss Doris Day for the kindness and generosity of the Doris Day Animal Foundation’s sponsorship of EWRC wildlife in rehab during the month of July, including migratory songbirds and birds of prey as well as mammals. We are very excited to announce that we will continue serving wildlife in distress and the concerned individuals throughout Colorado who find them, bring them to rehab, and care about them, via wildlife rehabilitation and education. Dedicated to the proposition that we can create caring communities by acknowledging the significant relationship between animal welfare and human development, the Doris Day Animal Foundation’s mission is to help animals and the people who love them, which directly reflects EWRC’s vision and principal programs. Please take a moment to visit DDAF’s web site to view the significant and valuable help for animals and their people the Foundation achieves nationally at http://ddaf.org/dd/?page_id=2. Here on our blog we will feature some of the pictures and stories of wild lives helped by the Doris Day Animal Foundation at EWRC. We will continue to add to and update the features through the month of July. Enjoy!
Our first fledgeling Swainson’s hawk of 2009 arrived to rehab near the of July, a healthy bird found in the road by Theresa. Swainson’s hawk fledgelings that are moved off the road usually end up right back in the road and risk getting hit by cars, so we do have them picked up and brought to rehab until they’re flying and off the ground, when they’re returned back to their parents. Two other fledgeling Swainson’s have since arrived to rehab, one with suspected West Nile Virus.
Volunteer Ray and Springs Utilities Mike release the “pond owl” after he had completed about a week in rehab.
Exhausted and driving home from a 10-hour hike earlier in the day, Rose answered her cell phone when it rang and was asked to transport a car-hit turkey vulture to EWRC.
Wildlife officer Jeromy delivered a belted kingfisher to EWRC from Limon, where it appears he had been hit by a car. The fishing bird is stable and eating a LOT of fresh fish!
This adult Swainson’s hawk turned up in Joe’s Widefield back yard, apparently having suffered trauma. The hawk did well and was released back to his territory and his mate, in time for nesting season before fall migration all the way back to Argentina, where the Swainson’s hawks spend their winters.
Woodland Park resident Becky noticed a gull sitting on the roadside while driving by. Four hours later on her way back she saw the bird still sitting there. Becky knew the bird was having a problem and pulled over to offer help. The bird led her on a foot chase of about a quarter-mile! She contained the bird and took the bird to the vet in Colorado Springs. When we picked the boxed bird up from the vet we found a mature California gull inside with a foot injury. Time will tell. Currently the gull is consuming large amounts of good gull food-fish, krill, etc. This gull spends its winters on the West Coast. The red spot on the bill of the adults acts as a sort of beacon to help the baby gulls find the source of their food-the bills of their parents!
Several orphaned canid pups from as far away as Aurora, Loveland, and Estes Park are in rehab right now, preparing for their fall release.
Oriole suffered a foot trauma, now undergoing therapy in rehab.
Young female Red-Tailed Hawk had been struggling in Black Forest, even though both adults were seen with her. With several neighbors all monitoring her and calling us with sightings, unbeknownst to each other, eventually she hit a window, fell into an 8-foot window well, and was brought to rehab via volunteers Diana, Rose, and DOW wildlife officer, Jeromy. She was thin and needed to be hand-fed at first. Currently she is enjoying healing time in a spacious outdoor hawk enclosure, in the company of another Red-Tailed Hawk from Woodland Park, who is also in rehab after an accident.
Here she is outside, up on a perch, and getting around pretty well!
Marlice was on her way to run errands when she spotted this cottontail sitting motionless at the side of the road. Marlice knew this wasn’t normal behavior and figured the rabbit had been hit by a car. She picked up the rabbit and took it to her vet for exam and treatment, where the vet noted head trauma. The unfortunate rabbit suffered nearly all of her teeth broken as a result of trauma. Currently her food is chopped into tiny pieces so she is able to eat. We’ll keep an eye on the regrowth of those teeth to ensure they grow properly.
Virginia and Verle’s Western Bluebird, female fledgling, suffered a wing injury and is currently in rehab, resting the wing prior to exercise in an outdoor enclosure.
Imagine the surprise of Colorado Springs Utilities workers when they found a young male Great Horned Owl floundering around in their retention pond! They called coworker Mike, who fished the hapless owl out of the pond and took him to the emergency veterinarian for assistance. The bird arrived to rehab damp and more than a little bit stressed. Currently we are ensuring that nothing more is going on with this bird other than his accident. Once he is self-feeding he’ll be moved to an outdoor enclosure prior to release.
Teresa of Colorado Springs called the DOW for help after this young falcon, a female American Kestrel, hit her window very hard before falling into a window well. Volunteer Judy picked up the sluggish bird for rehab at EWRC. The falcon is currently stable and we anticipate a full recovery and release back to her home.
Volunteer Diana with American Kestrel, Handsome
The cooperative July weather, fresh air, good music, and enthusiastic Elbert residents, including good friend Londell, made for an enjoyable time at Elbert Day, a celebration that has been going on in some form or other for over 100 years! Edu ambassadors Nadine Saw Whet Owl and Handsome American Kestrel assisted in our Raptor Education program, where we discussed the “tools” birds of prey have that help them survive in the wild. The turnout was very good and lots of good questions regarding the birds and raptors in general.
Obviously the nest looks different after the fall but is right back in place, comfy babies inside…
…and ultimately the parents returned to the nest and have resumed care of their babies!
Black Forest resident Kathyrn has been enjoying a pair of swallows that come each year to her barn to nest and raise babies. Every year they reuse their same nest, a solid mud structure beautifully lined with soft, fluffy feathers and other materials. On Friday Kathryn was working outside and to her horror, she found the nest on the floor of the barn with baby swallows spilling out of it. Knowing that her barn cat would enjoy the mishap just a little too much, Kathryn immediately set about trying to rectify the situation and save those little swallows. Knowing the best parent for a wild baby is its own parent, Kathryn figured the best situation would be to try to replace that nest and hope the adult swallows would resume care of their babies. So she gently placed the babies back inside the nest, noting on the outside the old nest was beginning to crumble but the inside of the nest seemed very warm, fluffy, and comfortable for the nestlings. Next Kathryn reattached the nest exactly back in its original place, securing it with duct tape and tacks. Now came the very hard and agonizing part-watching patiently and from a distance to see if the adult birds would return to the nest after it had been altered and resume care of the babies. Well, it took a few hours but to her joy the adult birds, after circling and observing the nest for quite a while, no doubt trying to figure out what had happened, DID return to their nest and are currently caring for their babies! We call this a win-win for the birds and Kathryn, but not so much for Kathryn’s barn cat! Job well done and way to go Kathryn, and thank you for sharing your pix!!!!
Ruben’s baby showed up nearly naked and very, very tiny…
…and look at her now, a sparrow who’s about ready to graduate to a larger enclosure!
Cooper’s hawks youngsters are outside practicing tearing up their food and feeding themselves.
Volunteer Rose DiCenso feeds some babies.
Teeny tiny mourning dove nestling…
…joins 3 more that are just a little bit bigger but came in at the same size a few days prior.