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

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wildlife Center of Virginia.

On September 30, a mature Bald Eagle was found in a river in Fairfax County, Virginia. The eagle was retrieved from the river and taken to a permitted raptor rehabilitator in Fairfax. On the night of October 1, the eagle was transported to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Dr. Rich and several veterinary students examined the eagle when it arrived at 9:00 p.m., and found the eagle to be bright and alert. The eagle’s right wing was swollen at the patagium – the leading edge of the right wing.

 Dr. Rich noted that the wing seemed painful to the eagle as he examined it, and it also had a decreased range of motion. Blood was drawn for an emergency panel and a lead test; results of the lead test indicated that the eagle was “subclinical” for lead – meaning a small amount of lead was in the eagle’s system, though at this level, treatment was not needed. The eagle was started on a course of anti-inflammatories and fluids.

The following morning, Dr. Rich anesthetized the Bald Eagle so that a set of radiographs could be taken for further assessment. Radiographs revealed an old, malaligned fracture of the eagle’s left leg. The x-rays also revealed several metal fragments around the fracture site, leading Dr. Rich to believe that the fracture may have been caused by a gunshot. Judging by the callus over the fracture site, Dr. Rich estimates the injury to be about two weeks old. The eagle was returned to a crate in the Center’s holding room for observation after it recovered from anesthesia.

 While the eagle was standing when it was admitted on October 1, it was laying down in its enclosure the following morning prior to radiographs. Dr. Rich wanted to observe the eagle’s use of its left foot to determine if the injury was treatable. On the afternoon of October 2, the Bald Eagle was observed standing in its enclosure, and the bird was able to perch with its left foot – though function is definitely reduced. Dr. Rich will consult with Dr. Dave, the Center’s veterinary director, on Thursday to determine the best course of action. A surgical repair may be possible, though permanent nerve damage could compromise the eagle’s releasability.
*sigh*