SNN (ScrollingNetworkNews) ✿ ✿ Our Mel and Sydney returned to their nesting box with plenty of bonding occurring..but after 2.5 months of Sydney in the box from Dec 2013 to mid Feb 2014, the lack of prey gifts from Mel ( perhaps due to the severe and historic drought underway in California)and they have forgone the nesting process this year as many other raptors ✿ Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents – often regarded as pests by humans – than possibly any other creature. ✿ We remind viewers that sometimes owlets may not survive - the parents will dispose of things in "The Owl Way" -viewer discretion is advised, this is nature and the "Owl way". ✿ ~ ✿ “Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.” ― Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals ✿ Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius." ~ E.O. Wilson

Friday, August 17, 2012

Crooks and Crannies

 Two wildlife rescuers were in the San Jose aera  discussing ways they might officially expand their specialized  services in the area, when they received an emergency page.
The caller was reporting a hawk, caught in a tree, about 30' high. As luck would have it, they were only eight miles away!

On scene they found a very tired but alert red-shouldered hawk, stuck on a branch. They couldn't tell exactly what held him to the limb - often it's kite string or fishing line.
There was no way to reach the bird without special equipment. Thankfully, there was an tool rental place just up the road, and, they happened to be driving their newly donated heavy-duty rig that could easily tow the boom lift.

Within 20 minutes they were all set and began the ascent. Check out the video below.

Oddly enough, the hawk's leg was simply caught in a crook, nothing else held it to the tree - no line or string. One worker freed the bird by breaking the branch.

They then rushed the bird to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley where it received immediate attention.
The bird was thin, indicating it had been trapped for two or three days. The leg did not appear broken, but the skin where it was caught had torn and peeled back. This is called a degloving injury.

The center's wildlife medics cleaned and bandaged the wound and placed the bird on pain medication and antibiotics.




The rescue clearly illustrates the value of having a dedicated team of experienced first responders who specialize in wildlife. The skills necessary to safely handle wild animals in distress differ greatly than those used in domestic animal rescue.
Thank You first responders!