Wrapped In Line: Hayward Eagle

Greetings everyone,

It's hard to explain how incredibly difficult it is to watch patient after patient come into our clinic with human inflicted injuries. Lead poisoned loons, hummingbirds colliding with windows, hawks that have been shot by upset individuals, even great-horned owls that have been hit by snowmobiles... hard to believe, but we've seen it all.

This particular eagle case was no exception.

Before I begin with some pictures of this beautiful bird, I'd just like to make a plug for the health and safety of all wildlife. It was just this past weekend that I went out fishing, and spent more time cleaning up the tangled line in the shrubs and water than I did actually fishing. I suppose working at an animal rehabilitaton center makes you more prone to noticing line hanging in shrubs, washed up on the beach, or caught on logs in the water, but it's something we all need to work at being more aware of. Not every cast can be as perfect as the pros...

  Image from Summit County Citizens Voice, line tangled in grass

but after you stop feeling embarrassed for snagging your line, 

please do your best to clean up after your line and tackle.

A photo of the eagle's face that was taken after fishing line had been untangled from the beak. Notice the white lines engraved near the nares (nostrils) from the fishing line 

After a long journey down from Hayward, WI this juvenile bald eagle made it to the clinic with no time to spare. His injury... tangled in musky fishing line. Not just sort-of tangled in fishing line, but tangled to the point of circulation loss in his toes, damage to his beak, open wounds on his leg, severe muscle loss in his leg, and extremely underweight. To cause such a lengthy list of issues, we estimate that the line had been wrapped around the eagle for several weeks.

The swelling in the toes is astounding, over twice the size as normal

Notice the size difference in the feet, and the injury to the upper left leg, all caused by fishing line

With line wrapped so tightly around his legs and toes, his extremities began to lose circulation. The leg itself had barely any muscle left, and the severe amount of swelling in the foot left the bird physically unable to grasp. 

After the initial exam, treatment is to soak his feet twice daily to help increase circulation back into the feet, and reduce any further infections to the legs

The fishing line perhaps belonged to a bait such as this musky bait that came in on a patient eagle several years back

Many fishermen are honored to see eagles so close in the summertime, especially up here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. But sadly, young eagles on their first fishing ventures sometimes mistake musky baits for a delicious meal. To their defense, some of them actually look edible these days. Loons can get tangled up in line that has been snagged underwater. Ducks get tangled with line that has been snagged close to shore.

Boaters, 

fisherpeoples, 

lakefront property owners,

and all water-body seeking outdoor enthusiasts...

You can prevent injuries such as these!!!

Please do your part in cleaning up our natural resources. Future generations of people and wildlife depend on it. Whether it happens to be your mistake or one of someone else, please don't leave it lying around!

The way I look at it... I wouldn't want to see my kids, grand-kids, and great grand-kids stepping on fishing hooks and seeing a line-littered shoreline. To those of you who take the extra couple minutes to remove line, lures, and bobbers from the environment... the birds and myself would like to personally THANK YOU!!

Besides... sometimes those snagged lures are the luckiest ones!

- Katie Rymer, Assistant Avian Rehabilitator

Grown Ups, Patient Updates, & Interns

Hey everyone, were still swamped in baby season here at REGI.

Here's a picture-filled blog full of updates!

_____ All Grown Up _____

These merlins made their debut on our last blog (above), look how grown up they look now (below)

Hard to imagine that just several weeks ago these striking falcons were just white puff balls with large eyes, sharp beaks, and quick feet. Merlins go from hatching to flight in only one month, and we can attest to that here at REGI. This has been the summer of the merlins. We've seen seven fluffy babies come through our clinic doors. All of which are currently flight training in an outside enclosure!

The Virginia Rail is doing great, and enjoys fresh duckweed and insects daily

Look at who else is growing up! REGI's Virginia Rail is no longer cotton ball size! He stirred up quite an array of followers on our Facebook, and would like to thank everyone for their monetary donations to support his bloodworm addictions! He still has expensive tastes, and has moved up to waxworms & small minnows.

This baby turkey vulture had a high-speed migration in a car from the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota contacted us this past week with an interesting request. They had acquired a turkey vulture chick that had fallen from its nest into a large body of water, and he needed a foster parent. Kayakers found the little one flapping around in the water and were able to pull him up into the kayak and get him to the University of Minnesota. Here at REGI, we have several successful turkey vulture foster parents, some of which who have fostered Minnesota vultures in the past. It appears that these two are over the whole Packer/Viking feud, and are getting along great!

_____ Patient Updates _____

This young broad-winged hawk came into the clinic just yesterday. His parents may have kicked him out of the nest because he appears to be fully blind in his left eye.

This red-tailed hawk came into the clinic starving and has an injury to a leg. Cases like this lead us to believe he she had some sort of collision with a car which left her unable to hunt.

This great-horned owl came into the clinic very thin. A male great-horned owl weighs over 2 lbs, and a female can be over 4 lbs. This one came into the clinic weighing just over 1 lb. Release is a long way in the future for this owl... but we are crossing our fingers/toes for success

_____ Summer Interns _____

 Licensed rehabilitator Alberta & intern Alyssa tubing one of several fledgling eagles in the clinic

The interns this summer are doing a fantastic job! They truly get the whole rehabilitation experience here at REGI. Although they work long hours (as all of our former interns will remember), their spirits stay strong. The following are all photos of the interns learning experiences to date. They have seen a vast array of different species come through the clinic doors, and never know which one could be next!

Licensed rehabilitator Alberta & intern Maddie tubing another fledgling eagle

Intern Kerry holding a belted kingfisher while he anxiously awaits a larger box in the clinic

Interns Maddie and Sarah tubing the 1 lb great-horned owl

Intern Molly enjoying some alone time with our education peregrine falcon

_____ Summer Tours _____

 Molly, our education director, leading a tour past our crows & raven

Our education peregrine falcon poses for the tour group. Come meet our peregrine up close on one of our on-site tours

Summer tours are still soaring strong. Tours run Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the second Saturday of every month. Most tours still have spaces for both the 10AM & 1PM time slots. Call the education office at REGI to reserve your spots ahead of time (715) 623-2563.

Enjoy your week, it sounds like we finally have some rain in the forecast!

- Katie Rymer, Assistant Avian Rehabilitator

Summer Patient Update

Hello everyone!  Everything is in full swing here at REGI with patients coming and going and lots of changes happening.  Some of you have been calling hoping to join us on tours but we have had to delay tours for a short time due to the weather and construction.  We are hoping to have everything up and running again starting next week.

A Willow Tree is cleaned up after high winds brought it down in a storm.

We had a round of severe storms sweep through the area last week and are still in the process of cleaning up.  Above you can see our beloved Weeping Willow that gave shelter to many visitors and provided food to many birds being cleaned up after falling in the storm.  This tree was a special place for a releasing many songbirds where they can slowly readjust to being back in the wild while eating from the plentiful feeders.  The Willow was one of many trees that came down around REGI and we are sad to see it go.

Construction workers frame the newest building on the REGI property.

One of the other causes of delay to our tours is a construction project.  Our original REGI building and enclosures, which we called the "Middle Mews", has been torn down and is in the process of being replaced with a new building.  The "Middle Mews" had been at REGI since it's inception in 1990 and were showing serious signs of age.   The new building will house more birds and provide more space for some of our larger raptors.  We will keep you updated at the building process comes along.

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird perches atop her feeder.

This beautiful female Ruby-throated Hummingbird (above) came in suffering from what we suspect to be chemical poisoning.  Herbicide and pesticide use in yards affects wildlife and can be fatal, although many people don't realize the dangers.  Fortunately she seems to be recovering from the neurological effects of the chemicals and we anticipate her release in the near future.  You can often hear her humming in her enclosure as she exercises her wings.

Fluffy American Kestrel chicks are among REGI's many orphans this summer.

Do you recognize the two little American Kestrel chicks (above) from our blog two weeks ago?  They were still tiny balls of fluff but growing rapidly.

Female Kestrel fledgling intently watches the camera.

A young Kestrel already displays the beautiful blue of a male on his wings.

They have already reached their adult sizes and are now gaining their adult plumage although you can still tell they are juveniles by the downy fluff surrounding them, particularly on their heads (see above.)  When you last met them we were just beginning to see the markings that tell us if they are male or female and now it is quite clear.  The Kestrel in the top photo has reddish brown and black barring all across her wings brown streaking on her chest which tell us that she is a female, while the Kestrel on the bottom has blueish gray wings with a lighter smoother chest and black markings telling us that he is a male. 

Northern Flicker preparing for release.

This Northern Flicker (above) came in along with his siblings when their nesting tree came down earlier in the summer.  They were completely naked and the size of a thumb each.  He was recently released and can still be seen hanging around the REGI neighborhood.  You can see the yellow feather shafts on his wings which is indicative of an Eastern bird, Western flickers have red feather shafts on the wings.

A juvenile Bald Eagle joins his new foster father .

Our ever faithful foster Bald Eagle has his first baby of the year (above.)  The eaglet that you met in the last blog has graduated to the flight building and is ready for the care of a foster parent.  Our foster Eagle will care for the young eaglet and show him the ropes as he finished his recovery.  So far the chances for a future release are looking good.

Intern, Kerry McVey, holds a Bald Eaglet in preparation for a feeding.

This young Eagle (above) came in weak and starving at the incredibly low weight of four pounds.  Birds suffering from starvation need to be gradually weaned onto solid foods and must be tube fed for a long period of time.  While the road to recovery will be long for this bird we are feeling hopeful.  He has gained two pounds so far and is continuing to grow.

So, the clinic is packed and we are ever busy!  There are many summer programs coming up in the next weeks.  Keep your eyes on the REGI website events page to follow our events.

Molly McKay
Director of Education

Happy Foster Father's Day to REGI's Barred Owl

Happy Foster Father's Day!

These two barred owls have a special foster dad this summer. The owlet in the front is utilizing his nictitating membranes. These help keep the eye clean & moist.

It's not too often that a raptor can say that they have a full-time job, but here at REGI... nothing is out of the ordinary! These two baby barred owls (pictured above) were featured in an earlier blog eating some mice in the clinic. Since then, they have been placed with a foster dad.  

When he's not busy doing education programs for the public, this barred owl works a summer job as a foster dad (pictured below, in the middle). He cares for a handful of owlets every year, teaching them how to act like a raptor. With his help, baby barred owls that make their way into REGI don't become imprinted on humans. Imprinting occurs when humans have too much contact with younger birds. The babies view you as one of their own... their parent... their friend... their chef... their.... dare I say it... mate. Because of this, imprinted birds are non-releasable. They rely heavily on humans, and wouldn't be able to fend for themselves.

Today, we celebrate our education barred owl's many accomplishments! Happy Foster Father's Day!

 Two years ago at this same time, our education barred owl was hard at work!

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 Patient Update
 

REGI's newest baby... a very hungry bald eagle

New patients are filling up the clinic everyday, and not all of them are lucky enough to get foster parents. One of this week's new patients is a young bald eagle. Although it's hard to believe, this bird hatched from an egg just this spring! Crazy! After only 10 weeks of being in the nest, young eagles are ready to make their first flights. Unfortunately, this one didn't have such a graceful first flight. Although the future looks bright for this young eagle, there is still a long road to a full recovery!

Raptors aren't the only birds that come through REGI's doors. The majority of our babies this time of year are songbirds and ducks.

These baby robins are enjoying their day outside!

A family of Eastern phoebes taking naps after feeding. 

Can you guess who's still hungry?

This baby turkey is only a day old. 
You can still see his egg tooth on the front of his beak. This tooth is used to help poke their way out of the egg.

Ruffed grouse chick nap-time!

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 The crew eats a delicious meal!

We are always hard at work and lunch time is no exception! This past Thursday, a delicious meal was prepared for the staff, interns, and volunteers from Linda, a long-time REGI friend! We made quick work of the chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and COOKIES!

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  Happy Father's Day! We were hard at work all day feeding babies from sun-up to sun-down!

- Katie Rymer, Assistant avian rehabilitator

                          ___
                       .-"-~-"-.
                      /.-"-.-"-.\   "Who
                      ||((o|o))||     cooks
                      )\__/V\__/(     for
                     / ~ -...- ~ \     you?"
                    |\` ~. ~ .~ `/|
                 () | `~ - ^ - ~` |   - Barred Owl
             () //  | ;  '  :  .  |
            ()\\/_() \ . : '  ; '/
           ___/ /_____'.   ; ' .'____
                 _   ^ `uu---uu`    /\
          _____________^ _________^_\/
                       \ \
                       //\\()
                     ()/  ()
                      ()

Saw-whet Owl, Snowstorm, and Updates

Hello everyone! We have another patient and more updates for you!

Photo above: Our newest patient is a lovely little male Saw-whet Owl. This little guy is very lucky he had a friend in the landowner that took this photo. She realized something wasn't quite right and called for help. He is suffering from starvation and pneumonia and would not have lasted much longer without help. If you find a bird that is puffy-looking and very quiet, it is sick and needs help. It is likely he had a mate nearby, but he will miss out on breeding season this year.

Photo above: After a night on a heating pad with emaciation diet in his belly, he's beginning to perk up quite a bit. He still has a long way to go, but we are glad he appears to be feeling better.

I'm sure many of you reading right now have survived the "Snowpocalypse 2012" which arrived Wednesday morning and dumped something like 13 inches of wet, heavy snow on us here in Antigo. When it finally stopped snowing, cleanup began.

Photo above: Licensed Rehabilitators, Katie Farvour and Alberta Halfmann, and Assistant Rehabilitator, Brennan Rausch try to dig paths through the huge piles of snow. The snow is above their knees!

Photo above: I think REGI looks just lovely under a layer of fresh snow; although, I think we could have done without the snowbanks up to my chest!

Photo above: Even the resident chickens get special paths to walk through. They aren't bothered by the snow one bit, and I think they get a kick out of watching the humans dig, plow, and blow through all the snow.

I'd like to update you on Eagle #019 who arrived earlier in the week. He was anxious to get out of his box in the clinic so he was moved to the flight building. He instantly flew to the highest perches. That is great news because when he was found he wasn't able to fly at all.

Photo above: Eagle #019 happily standing on the highest perch in the flight building.

Photo above: I snapped a photo of the Snowy Owl in her larger mew. She is still not eating on her own, but she is digesting solid food.

I'm pleased to say that everyone else is doing well!

Molly and I will be at Klondike Days in Eagle river tomorrow and Sunday! You can come visit us and meet our lovely birds. I have the van all packed up so all we have to do in the morning is gather our feathered educators and head out. We will be on the road before the rooster crows! Is that dedication or what ;)

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr

Wildlife Educator

Another Bald Eagle Patient, Updates, and Klondike Days!

Good Tuesday morning everyone!

It has been a few days since our last update and we have another patient I'd like to introduce you to. Bald Eagle (#019) was brought to us from the Minocqua, WI area unable to fly. We tested his blood for lead and his results came back at a "normal" level, meaning that he is not suffering from lead poisoning. His inability to fly is still currently being determined.

Photo above: Eagle #019. The darker streaking in his beak tells us that he is likely just about 5 years old.

I'd also like to update you on a number of our patients.

The Barred Owl that originally came in after being hit by a vehicle has unfortunately passed away. It is a great loss for his species because he was such a wonderful adult. He will be missed.

The Great-horned Owl found along a road with a broken wing is improving slowly. She still has a swollen wing, but is eating very well. It isn't clear at this point whether she will be able to regain flight.

Eagle #008 is flying in the flight building and looking great. We are so thrilled with his recovery from lead poisoning. He still needs a lot of reconditioning, but the improvements he has shown are fantastic.

Photo above: Eagle #008 just before being moved into the flight building.

Eagle #012 is also beginning to fly back and forth in the flight building. Because of her injured "wrist" joint, we are tentative in our excitement about her short flights.

Eagle #013 has also been moved to the flight building, but is showing no ability of being able to fly. We will likely need to place him as a permanent resident at another facility.

The Snowy Owl has been very active in the clinic so she has been moved to a larger mew to give her more room to move around. She still has chunky lesions in her throat, but has begun to eat solid foods with encouragement from our rehabilitators.

The Rough-legged Hawk is still currently in the clinic and is eating very well.

On a separate note, would any of you like to have some fun this coming weekend?

Director of Education, Molly and I will be at Klondike Days in Eagle River this Saturday and Sunday. We will have a booth set up both days so you can meet our raptors face to face. There are plenty of other things to do and see at Klondike Days like: Native American exhibits; Snow Sculptures; Cut, Stack, & Split contest; Dog Sled weight pulls; Horse pulls; Ice Sculpture; Arts & Crafts; Amish Quilt Show & Sale; and much, much more. It is a great time for the whole family!

Where: Northland Pines High School, Eagle River, WI
When: Saturday and Sunday, March 3rd and 4th, 2012 from 9am to 4pm.

For more information follow this link.

Photo above: Molly and I at Klondike Days in 2011 with a Peregrine Falcon and a Barred Owl. Come and visit us this weekend at Klondike Days in Eagle River and meet some of our resident raptors!

That's all for now :) Have a great week everyone!

Karissa Mohr

Wildlife Educator

Rough-legged Hawk, Eagles Moved to Flight Building, and Patient Updates

Good Monday morning everyone! We admitted a new patient over the weekend; a Rough-legged Hawk. This is the first Rough-legged Hawk we have had in our clinic this season. "Roughies," as we and fellow bird lovers refer to them, are magnificent birds of the north. They spend summers, along with Snowy Owls, in the Arctic rearing their young. We are lucky in the United States because these majestic birds will spend the winter here. Unlike Snowies, Roughies can be seen in Wisconsin every winter, not just when food sources become low up north.

Photo above: This Rough-legged Hawk was found west of Medford, WI unable to fly. He has an injury in his left wing which has been taped to allow it to heal. Thank you to the volunteer who made the 2 hour trip to get him here safely.

For an inexperienced bird watcher, a Roughie can be mistaken for a more common type of hawk around here; Red-tailed Hawks. There are a couple of characteristics which can help you tell which one you're looking at. Roughies have a dark patch of feathers at the "wrist" joint which can be seen from below when they are in flight. These hawks have a wide variety of color morphs which can range from very light with a lot of streaking, like the individual above, to dark, chocolaty brown overall. They frequently have a dark "bib" of feathers on their chest which may be more or less visible depending on the color morph of the individual. If you're very close, you may be able to get a look at their feet. Roughies have relatively small feet which are perfect for catching the small mammals they feed on as well as help to limit body heat lost through their skin. The characteristic from which they get their name are their "rough legs." They have feathers all the way down to their feet, much farther than most other hawks, which keep them warm gives them the appearance of having rough legs.

Our other patients are doing well and improving each day. We are very pleased with the progress we see in the Snowy Owl.

Photo above: The Snowy Owl continues to receive a liquid diet administered through a tube several times per day. The Trichomonas (trich) infection is improving and the caseous (cheesy) material in her throat is beginning to loosen. Licensed Rehabilitator, Katie Farvour, and Assistant Rehabilitator, Stacie Wild, are shown here tube-feeding the Snowy.

Photo above: Have you ever wondered why Snowy Owls look like they have big, wonderful walrus mustaches? The "mustache" is composed of stiff, bristly feathers which help to warm the air that they breathe; an important adaptation for arctic living. As they exhale, the feathers trap some of the warm moist air which then warms up the cooler air as they inhale. Those feathers also provide a barrier to dust and snow, keeping their nares (nostrils) free of debris.

I'd like to update you on the patients we've recently told you about. Sadly, the little Red-breasted Nuthatch passed away. We would like to thank the folks who brought him to us. He was given the best chance of survival through their quick action, but unfortunately his head injury was too much for him.

A bit of positive news... Bald Eagles #012 and #008 are well enough to begin regaining their flight muscles! They have been moved to our huge flight building where they can stretch their wings and fly. Yeah!

Thank you everyone!

Karissa Mohr

Wildlife Educator