Eagle Release, More Eagles Admitted, Lots of Baby Birds, Model A Club Tour, and Patient Updates

We are having a whirlwind of a summer! (And it's only June! Oh my!)

As many of you know, we released 7 Bald Eagles yesterday that were found in Eagle River, WI suffering from poisoning. The eagles were found on April 9, 2011 and rescued by REGI staff members Katie Farvour and Robert Prinsen with help from Ken Pedersen, a volunteer from the Northwoods. If it weren't for the fast action of these wonderful people, these eagles would not have survived. Marge spent two full days and nights caring for these birds, and through exceptional care, all of them recovered! Survival of birds with poisoning like this is unheard of, but yet, we did it here at REGI. We would like to recognize the wonderful work of REGI rehabilitators Katie Farvour, Robert Prinsen, and Alberta Halfmann, and REGI volunteer, Stacie Wild for caring for these birds during their nearly 2 month stay. Marge always says that her staff is among the best in the world, and with these 7 eagles, this statement is proven to be true.

Many people "flocked" to see the birds off, and while looking around the crowd, I saw so many awed people. Working with these birds everyday is an absolute privilege and a joy, but seeing people react to them with a sense of wonderment reminds me how amazing the birds are and how lucky I am.

Photo above: Marge Gibson walks near the crowd with a juvenile Bald Eagle to give them all an up-close look. This was a first time experience for many of the visitors.

Photo above: Marge Gibson releases the first of the 7 Bald Eagles.

Photo above: Katie Farvour releases one of the 7 Bald Eagles she helped rescue and rehabilitate.

Photo above: Robert Prinsen releases one of the 7 Bald Eagles he helped rescue and rehabilitate.


The very day we released the 7 Bald Eagles, three more found their way to our clinic to join another who arrived a couple days earlier. Release seven and admit four... things are never quiet here for long.

Photo above: This Bald Eagle has a possible shoulder luxation (dislocation). You can see that she holds her wings unevenly. Luxations are difficult injuries for birds to bounce back from because it usually limits their ability to the fly in the future.

Photo above: This Bald Eagle has a damaged iris (the colored part of the eye) and is somewhat thin. Her injured eye may have limited her ability to hunt therefore leaving her skinny; however, many raptors are able to adapt to hunting with one good eye so there may be an underlying factor affecting her weight.

Photo above: This juvenile Bald Eagle has multiple injuries from an unknown source. His left eye, left wing, and right foot all are injured. He is unable to stand and it is likely that he will not regain sight in his injured eye. He is fighting for life and that keeps us hopeful.


On top of the three adult Bald Eagles, we also admitted our THIRD baby Bald Eagle. Our foster father is getting the "father of the year" award from us this year!
Photo above: This baby Bald Eagle was found blown out of his nest in Northern Wisconsin after some high winds experienced earlier this week. We are watching him for signs of injuries sustained from the fall.

Photo above: The new baby Bald Eagle joins his "instant" family, and all (including daddy eagle) are doing well! As you may have remembered from earlier posts, we nicknamed the first two eaglets Wisconsin and Kentucky. Well, to accommodate for another Wisconsinite their nicknames have been adjusted. From left to right we have "Southern Wisconsin" or "SW", the first eaglet to arrive, we have "Northern Wisconsin" or "NW" the third eaglet to arrive, and we have "Kentucky", the second eaglet to arrive. SW has "fledged" and is exploring areas outside of the nest. As you can see, they are getting along swimmingly.


BABIES! We have admitted a lot of new babies and I will try to introduce most of them to you.

Photo above: This is the third baby Great Horned Owl currently in care here at REGI. He was found orphaned along a road and is thin, and is now being tube fed to improve his weight and digestion before we start giving him whole mice. As soon as he is well again, he will join his new siblings and foster father outside. The other two owlets are doing well and growing fast!

Photo above: We admitted two baby Wood Ducks who are enjoying childhood. To me, ducklings always look like they are having the most fun teetering around. They have been introduced to a foster mother Wood Duck to prevent imprinting.

Photo above: We admitted three more orphaned Mallard Ducklings and introduced them with the three we admitted earlier. The three larger ducklings in the photo were the first to arrive, and have grown quite a bit. Visit our earlier blog post from May 25th to see how little they were when they arrived. All 6 are now a happy ducky family.


Photo above: Two more orphaned Mourning Dove chicks have been admitted and are doing well.


Photo above: Here's an update on the the two Mourning Doves mentioned in the May 25th blog post. They are outside in screen cages now, and with their newly grown feathers, are looking very different from when they were admitted.


Photo above: An American Robin with an eye injury has joined our first Robin outside. The new baby is on the right and the first baby is on the left. Both were having fun bathing and splashing around in their water bowls before the photo was taken which is why they look a little water-logged.

Photo above: Here is a picture of the first American Robin mentioned in the May 25th blog post. Here he has dried off from his bath and is practicing his singing. He has grown so much in the short time he has been here.


On top of all the excitement with releases and patients, we have started giving some tours. Last Thursday we were visited by the Northwoods Model A Club. They all came puttering up the driveway in their awesome Ford Model A cars, some stopping to blow their "Awooga!" horns.

Photos above: The old time vehicles looked fantastic lined up along the REGI driveway!

Photo above: I spotted a bird on one of the cars! Almost as beautiful as the live birds here at REGI! ;)

Photo above: The Model A Club learns about Hawks with help from Education Coordinator, Molly McKay and Red-tailed Hawk, Xavier.

Video above: I watched as all of the amazing vehicles left the REGI property.

It was a big treat to see the amazing cars! We really enjoyed speaking with the members of the Model A Club and we hope they come back again next year!

As always, we will do our best to keep you updated as the summer continues.

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr

Wildlife Educator

Eastern Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings, Amercian Robins and Eastern Phoebe all Released Today!

( Photo: Look quick! That bright blue blur to the right of the open hand is an Eastern Bluebird taking flight for the first time as a wild bird.)



( Photo: Alberta holds one of the male Eastern Bluebirds raised at REGI just before he was released to the "soft release" site. They have the brilliant blue coloration of the adults with the exception of the spotted belly of typical of juveniles. )

It was another exciting release day here at REGI. All of the birds released today were raised at REGI. They all came in as hatchlings. If you follow the blog you have likely seen photos of these youngsters when they were much younger. Their stories were as different as they species when admitted. But today they were all celebrating the same stage of their life, becoming truly wild birds.

Getting photos of the smaller passerine birds is not an easy task. The birds released today have not had human contact other than staff throwing in worms, other food items and water for weeks now. They avoid any contact with humans. They seemed particularly unhappy with attempts to get them to stay still enough for photos. That is a good thing however and exactly what we want for the birds going back to the wild.



( Photo: Another of the Eastern Bluebirds prepares to leave captivity.)



( Photo: Two Cedar Waxwings and an Eastern Phoebe perch on a hanging perch while still in the aviary. )


( Photo: Two of the youngest set of American Robins raised this year at REGI. Getting two of any of the birds in a single camera frame is pretty impressive.)

The youngsters were released in a manner called a "soft hack". That means they are in a protected area if they chose of they can venture out. They can return for as long as they wish. Food and water are provided until the last of the group is no longer returning for food.

In this way we give the young birds a chance to learn about the great outdoors slowly if that is what they need. They can and most do hang around for a week or more especially coming back in the evening to take advantage of a predator proof roosting site and some free grub.

Once they leave the area and connect up with others of their species for migration we know we will not see them again until spring. It makes spring even more exciting as we wait to see who comes back to visit and when. We wish we knew exactly where they went and what adventures they had during the winter. We have been through good times and harrowing times with them even in their short life. It is a bit like packing your kids off to college, we are all ready to see them be on their own.

Many thanks to Katie, Alberta and Nicole for getting such great photos.

Have a great tomorrow.
Best,
Marge Gibson © 2009

Eagle is Better, Lots of New Admits Including Loon, Robin Intervention

The first thing on blog-readers mind, if my mailbox is any indication, is the Bald Eagle from Post Lake. I am delighted to report that she is alive and by some miracle is doing much better. She is eating a little on her own now. That is a good sign. We are still feeding her liquid food via tube as well. She is still receiving the CA EDTA to chelate the lead from her blood as well as antibiotics and an anti fungal drug to prevent aspergillosis from taking advantage of her vulnerable condition, BUT SHE IS ALIVE.

( Photo: The lead poisoned Bald Eagle from Post Lake is doing much better. She is gaining strength and her blood lead level is going down. Notice the green in her droppings behind her in the photo. That green color is one of the signs of lead poisoning.)

It has been a very busy time here at REGI. Par for the course that just as the interns leave, our clinic is filled with more patients. I do mean filled as in hardly able to walk around. We need a bigger place without question.

( Photo: Young Great-blue Heron came with a foot injury from the Marshfield WI area.)
Judy Marshall, one of our terrific volunteer transporters, brought three birds in a single trip yesterday. That trip is over 2 hours one way so we are very appreciative of the Marshalls' help. One bird was a young Great-blue Heron. It looks like it was clipped by a car just enough to give him road rash on his leg and foot. He is thin as well. Great-blue Herons' have a comical look about them. They put everyone in a good mood, if only because of their intense yellow eyes and crazy hairdo.

Judy also brought along two Chimney Swift youngsters. They were likely abandoned by their parents during this seriously cold weather snap. Swifts eat only insects. When cold temperatures arrive insects die off. With no food to keep them alive, the parents do not have an option but to leave for a warmer climate. In this case they were forced to leave their nearly fledged youngsters behind in the chimney of a resident of the Marshfield area. When the swift babes grew hungry and weak, they let go of the inside of the chimney where they were hatched, and dropped to the fireplace below. It is there they were found.


( Photo: These Chimney Swift siblings overlap each other on a vertical perch. It is typical young swift formation. )

The swift chicks are nearly big enough for release. They are thin however, so we are pouring on the insects to get their weight up to a normal level. Then they will be released in hopes of catching up to mom and dad. They have a long flight ahead of them. Swifts migrate as far as South America this winter. It is hard to imagine those tiny birds in our hands will soon make such a remarkable journey. Swifts are some of the most difficult patients that come into rehabilitation. They have to be hand-fed every bit of food they take in. They eat while flying so have no skill level for learning to eat in any other way.


Our intervention of an American Robin nest is an example of another way wildlife rehabilitators help wildlife in need. The photos below will give you an idea of the story.

( Photo: I am feeding some young robins in their nest on a porch. We tried to keep them in their own nest after their single parent hit a window and was stunned. )


We got a call last night as it was nearing dark. A homeowner was worried about a nest of young robins on her porch. They were not being fed. Earlier in the day they witnessed the adult female hit a window. She flew to a nearby tree afterwards, but she did not return to feed the little ones all day.
The adult was a single parent for this second batch of youngsters. The homeowner is familiar with the family of robins as they have come back to her yard each year for some time. She felt something must have happened to the male after the eggs were laid.
We went to investigate. Our first thought was to feed the young in the nest. We hoped mom would be back soon to care for them. They were hungry and were letting everyone know with their screams.

After I got up the ladder it became obvious that the babies were younger than we thought and were not old enough to thermoregulate or able to produce their own body heat The chicks were listless and weak. I made the choice to take them in for the night. They will be warm, fed and ready to go home to mom in the morning when she is feeling better.


( Photo: The cold weather was too cold and the American Robin chicks too young to be left when the overnight temperatures reach the 40's. The chicks were cold and limp when we took them from the nest to warm them.)


It is not true that birds will not take back their young if they are touched. So, in this case we hope for a happy ending. The adults are far more capable parents than we will ever be, so they are always our first choice if we can manage to reunite the adults with the chicks.



( Photo: The ten day old American Robin chicks are snug, warm and fed during the night so they will be strong and ready to go back to their nest and waiting mom in the morning if she is able to care for them.)

Late last night we received a call from a member of the public that was enjoying a vacation when the discovered one of the Common Loon chicks was in trouble. They called and I agreed to meet them about half way from the lake to our facility. We got back to REGI about midnight or a little after. Many times critical birds just cannot wait until morning and this is one of those cases.


( Photo: I am holding a young Common Loon after a midnight run. The youngster is a little over half size and very sick.)

We do not have test results at this time, but is seems like an intestinal problem. It could be salmonella, botulism or even lead poisoning. All three conditions are known to be life threatening in loons in our region.

Our thanks to the folks that cared enough to find him help even in the dark of the night.


( Photo: Common Loon chick is beautiful even in his immature plumage.)

As you can tell it has been a very busy day. We are working hard, but getting it done. The birds are all so incredible. Even after all the years of working with them each is special and important. If is seems like we are here around the clock that is because we are. The downside of being a wildlife rehabilitator.

Have a good day,

Marge Gibson 2009

Storms Come Through Wisconsin Passerines Affected, Tours and Programs

( Photo: Young American robins are delightful patients.)



( Photo: A tiny baby American Robin snuggles in soft towels after his nest came down in a storm.)

Storms have been riping through the Wisconsin landscape taking with them many nests of late nesting passerines such as the American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Mourning Dove and Cedar Waxwing. As a result the REGI passerine section is filled with cheeping and peeping little tykes. Some of the babies have feathers but some are newly hatched and naked.

Passerines are labor intensive for staff. They must be fed every twenty minutes their first week of life from sun up to sun down. As they grow a bit they are put in screened cages we affectionately call "screen porches" `



( Photo: Natasha feeds young robins, and a mourning dove inside a "screen porch". )

Young passerines grow rapidly. Some species can go from hatch to flight in only 8-10days! Can you even imagine that? Of course when they are raised at REGI that time span is longer. While the diet we feed youngsters is very good in terms of having all the elements needed for their growth and development, we can never be a perfect as their own parents. As a result they grow a bit more slowly. After they are grown we have to make sure they know how to secure food and interact with other birds they will encounter in their life once released to the wild. The good news is our passerine flights have a wide variety of species most of the time, often including adults of the same species as the youngsters.

It was a busy weekend for programs. ON Saturday we gave three programs, two at the REGI site and one at Rib Mountain in Wausau. I will include some photos below of the Rib Mountain event. You can see from the photos how beautiful Rib Mountain State Park is. The Rib Mountain event is held yearly and put on by the Friends of Rib Mountain. They are a terrific conservation group. It rained during the presentation. Super educator Steve Fisher continued on even with the rain. His mantra is that as long as the audience was willing to stay he is. Now THAT is dedication.:) There were about one hundred folks the braved the rain with him.




( Photo: Steve Fisher with Peregrine Falcon,Ishmael at Rib Mountain State Park.)



( Photo: Steve Fisher walks with Red-tailed Hawk Juliet, just as it began to rain during the presentation. )

Off to feed those little passerine babes.

Have a great day everyone,
Marge Gibson 2009

Riding the Roller Coaster of Life at REGI- The Good

(Photos: Stevens Point Bald Eagle eaglet is weighed when admitted. We use a baby scale and they are usually very cooperative laying still. No sedation is used in case you are wondering. Katie, Natasha, Lance and Steve look on.
Photo below: Head shot of the young Bald Eagle.

This has been one of those few days where you feel like you are on a roller coaster. One minute you have GREAT even TERRIFIC news and the next something horrible comes through the door and within a minute there is a call about an animal abuse situation that is intolerable and very literally within minutes after that you are putting food into the mouth of a precious little barn swallow so filled with innocence and enthusiasm of just being alive. Then the whole cycle starts all over again.

On the Terrific end of things, the young Bald Eagle was put with the foster dad and other eaglet that is already in the rearing chamber. Things went perfectly for the newly formed little family. While the photo I could get isn't perfect you can see the dad on the left and the two youngsters in the nest on the right. You may have to look some to see both brown youngsters in the nest. We are still not sure what happened to the eaglet, but continue to work to find out. She will have xrays Monday or Tuesday.



( Photo: Bald Eagle foster dad with the two eaglets. We don't get close to do photos so the quality is always grainy. The male was right in the nest with the kids once it got nigh time. I wish with everything in me that I could share this kind of behavior with the world! It is beautiful.)



More good news in a HUGE way from friend Barry Wallace. Barry is a consummate Trumpeter Swan watcher/protector/helper/health observer. I cannot say enough good about the many years that Barry has spent with the huge Trumpeter Swans near Hudson, Wi where many winter, nor the valuable work he does with this endangered species.

Last winter we were swimming in cases of lead poisoning in Trumpeter Swans. It was a miserable winter with long days and nights spent caring for these magnificent creatures. Lead poisoning is a horrible problem and with the high blood levels we were seeing in the winter swans nearly always fatal.

( Photo: Barry Wallace with Trumpeter Swan #87Y just prior to his March, 2009 release back into the wild after having been treated for and recovered from lead poisoning.)



( Photo: Pat Manthey DNR/BER Avian Ecologist Adjusting the neck collar on 87Y prior to his release in March while Barry holds him one last time.)

Making a very long and agonizing story short...One of the swans that came in to us was a 14 yr old male Trumpeter Swan that Barry has known from a neck collar since he was a youngster. If you can imagine for 14 years this man watched this elegant swan and his family as they wintered on the St Croix River. Last winter the male became very ill with lead poisoning. Barry caught him up and the bird came here for help. His neck collar number is 87Y. That number becomes a "name" for us while there are with us. 87Y had a rough time in rehab. He nearly died several times and finally recovered after months of treatment. There was a celebration when he was released back on the St Croix where he was found. His mate had just left back for her home territory




( Photo: I hold 87Y while Don says his goodbyes just minutes before his release. and a photo taken just after his release with the other wintering swans on the St Croix River which was still frozen in March.)


We heard little from the bird. Barry had an occasional update, but it was on a no-news-is-good-news status.

Yesterday I got an email from Barry. He found 87Y with a new uncollared adult female and they were looking pretty happy. That is GREAT news. We are not sure what happened to his former mate. She may no longer be alive. Swans mate for life or until some situation separates them. We are not sure what happened in this case.

We hope 87Y is deliriously happy with his new mate and has an uneventful fall and winter this year.

This swan episode and the other swan lead poisonings are documented in the blog in March and April if you would like to read them.

More good news is our Red-breasted Nuthatches are ready for release. They will be released tomorrow if the weather holds. The Black-capped Chickadees are also nearing release ready as is the Chipping Sparrow.


Many of the American Robins are also ready for release. We were waiting for warmer weather before opening the doors on the aviary and will do that next week after the Fourth of July celebration. Fourth of July and all the firecrackers and fireworks is not as exciting if you are a bird in a tree and terrified of the sound, the reverberation and the light show.

The good news continues as "Slick" the Amercian Robin chick that spent some time in a pail of oil or oil fluid of some kind is doing really well. When he came in he looked like well... SLICK, but these days he is looking pretty much like a normal baby robin. He eats more than most and that may be a reflection of his desire to get on with life.:)

(Photo: "SLICK" the baby American Robin that took a dip in a pail of oil is looking good these days. Many thanks to Lynn Ott who quickly washed him off when he arrived at her house for transport.)

( (Photo: Aprill trying to feed the Northern Flicker chick that was hit by a car but is recovering very well.)
The little Northern Flicker that was hit by a car is doing very well also. Flickers are such interesting youngsters. They are some of the "coolest" of the woodpecker babies and chat all of the time. They insist on hanging from you while you are feeding even when you wish they would not. Most years we have several nests of Northern Flickers by this time of the year. That occurs when trees are cut without people knowing tree contains a nest of the active woodpecker.

( Photo: The Barred Owl that was hit by a car several days ago is in an outdoor flight and doing well. The second photo was taken of the same owl on June 24, 2009. She has done well and come a long way. )

The Barred Owl that came in June 23rd having been hit by a car and looked like she was about to give up on this world is in an outdoor flight and looks great. She still has a bit of a headache and will need to exercise to regain her muscle strength, but she looks great and her vision and hearing are perfect. So many times when owls are hit by cars they lose vision or hearing and are then not releasable to the wild.

I will finish up the Bad and the Ugly portions of the blog in a few days. Then a warning, don't read it if you feeling delicate. ::((

Remember wildife when you use fireworks and loud poppers. Have a great and safe holiday everyone.

Marge Gibson 2009