New Patients, Summer Interns, and Tours Start Soon!

Greetings! The month of May is quickly coming to a close and I did a quick count of the patients we've admitted so far. I counted just over 70 patients since May 1st and we still have a few days to go! No wonder the clinic has been buzzing with activity. I unfortunately cannot introduce you to all of the 70+ new patients  so I've selected just a few.

Remember the little Sandhill Crane colt from the last blog post? Well today he's nearly 2 feet tall! Young cranes grow so incredibly fast. 

This gorgeous bird is a male Northern Harrier (formerly known as Marsh Hawk). Harriers are one of the few species of raptors in which you can easily tell the sexes apart. Males, like the one above, are a light grey color and have been nicknamed "the grey ghost." Females are a pretty brown color. This hawk was found along a road laying on his back. Of course we don't know for sure because the hawk cannot tell us what happened, but we hypothesize he has been hit by a car. After a whole day of being unable to stand, he delighted us all by getting up on his feet Monday afternoon! 

This lovely bird is a Great Crested Flycatcher. He came in with a broken wing. His wings are taped now and when they heal he will be placed in our passerine flight building to regain his strength. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but the prognosis for this little guy looks great.

This stunning male Indigo Bunting came in after colliding with a window. He has been placed in our passerine flight building to recover. He is currently unable to fly, but we will continue to monitor his improvements.  

These three little baby American Crows were blown 80 feet from their nest during the harsh winds last week. It's incredible that they survived such a high fall, but at least one of them is suffering from internal bleeding. Once their health improves they will hopefully be placed back where they came from so their parents can continue to raise them. Baby crows have a big apatite and a big gaping mouth! They also have light blue eyes for the first few months of their lives. 

These teeny baby birds have us a bit stumped. At this age it can be difficult to determine the species of baby birds because so many species can look similar as nestlings. We are thinking they may be Chipping Sparrows, but for now they are lovingly referred to as "LBJs"- little brown jobs.  

These little nestlings are Northern Flickers. They came in as tiny, pink, naked little things and they've grown incredibly fast. They are beginning to grow their feathers which has helped us identify them. Flickers are interesting woodpeckers because you usually find them on the ground instead of high up in trees like other species of woodpeckers. Flickers eat ground-dwelling insects, like ants and beetles, which is why they're frequently found pecking at the ground. 

Last week our interns began their 3-month summer internships with us and we have an additional visitor from Turkey! They are all working very hard this morning, but I managed to snap a few photos of them so I could introduce you to them.

Intern, Sarah (left) and Turkish Veterinarian, Aysegul (right) are carefully tube feeding the Northern Harrier. Aysegul has come all the way from Turkey for the summer to learn more about avian rehabilitation. We are thrilled to have her joining us! 

Intern, Sarah from the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities is a fisheries and wildlife major with a pre-vet and wildlife emphasis. She is transferring some ducklings to an outside enclosure for the day. 

Intern, Maddie from Humbolt State University in California is a wildlife management and conservation major. She is transferring the young American Crows in the box she's holding to the clinic for the day. I didn't notice the giant blue dumpster from our recent construction behind her until I had already taken the photo. Hopefully we'll have time to update you on our construction projects soon!

I'll introduce you to the other interns next time :)


REGI summer tours are beginning again soon! The first tour day is Thursday, June 7th.

Where: Raptor Education Group, Antigo, WI.
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the 2nd Saturday of each month from June through August at 10:00am and 1:00pm. Pre-registration is required. 
Cost: $8/person (children under five are free)

Have you ever looked a bird of prey in the eye? We invite you to join us in discovering the powerful beauty and unique adaptations of raptors at our facility in Antigo, WI. Let the REGI education team guide you as we explore the wonderful world of hawks, eagles, owls, and falcons.
Tours are an entirely outdoors and are subject to the weather, please come prepared. 

Please call (715) 623-2563 to reserve your spot(s) as space is limited.

That's all for today! Have a great week everyone!

Karissa Mohr
Wildlife Educator

Escaping Kestrels, Late Night Rendezvous, Oil Covered American Robin, Red-breasted Nuthatch Adventure

I recieved an urgent call a few hours ago from the clinic. It was intern Lance Holm. He wanted some assistance with a female Amercian Kestrel that had escaped the confines of her intensive care enclosure for the second time today. It was clearly time to re-evaluate this patients condition. Perhaps an upgrade was in order.:)

( Photo: This female American Kestrel nearly drowned in a horse watering tank. She was suffering from hypothermia and unable to move when admitted.)

We took the kestrel to test fly her and she was perfect. I think she was trying to tell us something with those escapes. The truth is we were amazed that she was alive after her harrowing experience. A short forty-eight hours earlier she was rushed to REGI by a concerned horse owner that found her floating in a horse watering trough. The woman was upset as she always places a board in standing water including that horse watering tank in event birds accidentally get in the water. Without a means to get out of the water birds inevitably drown.

The kestrel was an adult and likely has a family at home. We hoped she would recover quickly so she could go home but this recovery was quicker than we anticipated.

We did the best thing and after test flying her, doing a quick exit physical and giving her a full crop of meat so she would not have to worry about getting herself dinner tonight she was released. Intern Natasha did the honors of letting her go. It is always exciting to release birds but even better when they have such a short rehabilitation period.

( Photo: Interns Aprill, Natasha and Lance about to release the lucky female American Kestrel that survived a near death drowning experience. )

Several birds and a variety of species have come in this past few days. A few of the cases were really odd. Sometimes we tease here that our name should be "Odd R US".

Lynn Ott, longtime REGI volunteer transporter and member of the Wausau Bird Club called with an true emergency case. A baby American Robin had gotten into a pail of motor oil and had been there for about thirty minutes. Heavy oil is toxic and can absorb through the skin. If not removed quickly the bird will not survive. There was no time to transport the tyke instead something had to be done immediately while Lynn had it in her care. Wausau is about a 45 minute drive from the REGI facility. Lynn rose to the occasion and and followed the procedure to clean oil from birds. Of interest the best thing we have found is Dawn Dish washing Soap. It is gentle to birds delicate skin and yet gets rid of the grease quickly. After washing the little one Lynn drove him over to REGI. Our clinic smelled like motor oil, but to our amazement the baby American Robin was alive this morning and was hungry. We love those happy cases. Much thank to Lynn for always going the extra mile for us and the birds that are out patients.
( Photo: This baby American Robin was lucky to find Lynn Ott, REGI volunteer. He was soaked in motor oil and Lynn quickly cleaned him getting the toxic oil off his skin and feathers.)

Our Red-breasted Nuthatch'ss are nearing release into the aviary from their baby screen porch. One of the little ones escaped yesterday and was flying around the compound. Early this morning he showed up near his siblings enclosure and was hoping to be fed. They are self-feeding, but when stressed they revert just like any kid would. He is back with us and his sibling until he gains confidence in eating and finding food in the wild.

( Photo: A Red-breasted Nuthatch is a very tiny tot. This photo was taken about a week ago when they were still held in an incubator at nighttime. When admitted they were as big as a fingernail. Try feeding one of those teeny mouths once! )



As I write this it is after 11 P.M. and I am sitting in my car in the parking lot of a local grocery store. So in other words it is a normal night for me and the night is still young so much more can happen. I am here because a woman called me about 10:30 PM with an injured baby bird she had picked up in the middle of the road some thirty miles from the REGI facility. She was worried the little one would not make it through the night. So many people would not make that drive particularly at night, so I agreed to meet her and make her trip a few miles less.

( Later at home)

The caller was right about the baby. It is a tiny American Crow and likely fell from his nest and is also thin. Something may well have happened to its parents or a predator could have taken him from his nest and dropped him.

He is at REGI now. He has had a physical, been fed and is on heat for the night. He is sleeping and after his unfortunate adventure he needs the sleep. We will investigate what appears to be a fracture of the left wing in the morning after he stabilizes.

( Photo: Baby American Crow sleeps back at REGI after having fallen from his nest to a hard surface. )

I will sign off now and get back to work. Until tomorrow.

Marge Gibson 2009