Goshawk, Barred Owl, Red-tails, Broadwing, Nighthawk, & Great-horned Galore

Although baby season has slowed down for this season the clinic is still overflowing with patients. Let's start with a batch of good news. We enjoyed fantastic weather these past couple of weeks which is great for RELEASES. Watching the babies grow up is one of my favorite parts of the summertime. After seeing songbirds come in featherless and pinky-sized and raptors come in looking like abominable snowmen, it's the best feeling in the world to be able to watch them fly freely into the sky in the unruly, teenager phase.

These past couple of weeks gave way to several releases of this summer's babies, and we still have several more to go! Here's some photos of the birds before and during release. The list of released birds included several barn swallows, several Eastern phoebes, cardinal, yellow-rumped warbler (also known as a
butter-butt"), goldfinch, chipping sparrows, bluebirds, a couple of broad-winged hawks, turkey vulture baby, and 10 merlins. The following are photos of some of the released.

 Yellow-rumped warbler before release. See why they get the nickname "butter-butt"?

 Cardinal just before release

 Rehabilitator Brennan opening a box full of songbirds, first out of the gates, a beautiful bluebird

One of several barn swallows released. They all immediately took to the air and began to catch bugs!

 Although she's not quite ready for release yet, this Great-horned owl spends several hours in our long flight hallway each day.

 These two photos were taken right after release. This young turkey vulture graced the blog several weeks back as a white fluff-ball with a black face. After several weeks under the care of a foster parent, this young turkey vulture is soaring high above REGI daily with his new wild family!

We love releases here at REGI. It's always a reason to celebrate. The time and effort put into each individual bird adds up to countless man hours. Even though these birds were ready for release, new patients are coming in daily just beginning their rehabilitation process. We've admitted raptors, wetland birds, and a BABY GOLDFINCH within this past week (I'm not sure what the goldfinch's parental units were thinking when they decided that NOW was a good time to lay eggs). The next several pictures are updates from the clinic and their stories.

This Northern goshawk was found under someone's deck. It most likely had a run in with a window while hunting it's favorite prey... other birds. Her wings are now un-taped from her injury, and she spent several hours in our flight hallway today. The prognosis at this point is great!

This red-tailed hawk came in very thin and a little spacey with what we believe to be West Nile Virus (WNV). The virus is spread through bites of infected mosquitoes. WNV has several effects on birds. Everything from their eyesight to their feathers can be damaged indefinitely. 

 Great-horned owl that entered the clinic after being found in someone's front yard mid-day. Strange behavior for a GHO.

This common nighthawk was also found mid-day. Strange for a bird that flies nearly exclusively in the dusk and night hours. Although they have "hawk" in their name don't let it fool you, they only prey on insects. As of right now he eats every half-hour and can handle nearly 15 waxworms at a time!

Barred owl that came in very thin. He's been on a liquid starvation diet since admittance, and will likely begin to eat solid foods again soon

 Another red-tailed hawk exhibiting signs of WNV.

Getting just as much attention as the raptors is this little sora that was found under someone's vehicle. A strange place since they are mostly found in thick vegetation wetlands. He's thin, but is fattening up as we speak.

Although the songbird babies have flown the proverbial nest, the clinic is still very busy. WNV seems to be hitting the raptor world hard this year in the Wisconsin northwoods, and each bird that enters the clinic comes in a very critical state. Several of these birds come in very weak, emaciated, and spooked. One minute you look into their eyes and everything is okay, the next minute they are looking at you as if you were a giant purple monster and exhibiting more aggression. Each bird is handled with extreme care.

Time to head out for the day! Remember... REGI TOURS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER! Tours will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10AM. Spots are limited, and pre-registration is required. Please call (715)623-2563 to reserve your spots!

- Katie Rymer, Assistant Avian Rehabilitator 

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`    /\
          _____________^ _________^_\/
                       \ \
                       //\\()
                     ()/  ()
                      ()

Owl Releases, Ducklings, Pine Siskins, Barn Swallow, and a Woodcock

Good afternoon everyone. It seems like every moment it gets busier here at REGI. The education department is doing programs just about every day and the rehabilitation team is seeing many new patients brought through the doors. Definitely no dull moments around here! We have a few new patients we'd like to introduce you to.

This baby American Woodcock was transported from another facility in Wisconsin to REGI for care. He was found sitting still alone on a path. The people who found him did not realize that woodcocks hold still to camouflage themselves when they sense danger. It is likely that his mother was just a few feet away, also holding still as to not be detected. Upon examination, this youngster has proved to be perfectly fine. Unfortunately, he was unintentionally kidnapped because the well-meaning people who found him didn't understand the natural behaviors of woodcocks. If you find a bird that you think may need help, please call REGI before catching the bird and we can help you determine the best way to help it. 

These Mallard ducklings are orphans from three separate families. They have come from various locations, each with a different tale to tell. One was found completely alone in the Wisconsin River. A very caring individual put on big waders and splashed into the river to rescue the little duckling. The three of them have become a very tight little family even though none of them are related.

This Barn Swallow is suffering from starvation. These amazing little birds spend summers here in North America and winters in South America. It is likely that he returned to Wisconsin after his long migration when we were seeing unseasonably warm days. These beautiful and graceful birds eat only insects and they do so while in flight. When you see swallows zooming through the air it is likely that they are catching little insects you may not even see. When our weather turned from warm to cool in April the numbers of insects declined. He was unable to find enough food for himself and he began to starve. Because these birds swallow food in flight, they are notoriously difficult to feed in captivity. This little man has us all very excited because he is responding very well and is eating with some encouragement. We aren't out of the woods yet, but we are pleased with his improvements!

We don't have photographs for these next patients, but they have important stories nonetheless. We admitted three Pine Siskins each with injuries from being bitten by cats. Sadly, these three birds have passed away from their severe bite wounds. We are constantly telling people how dangerous it is to let their pets run loose, yet we continue to see so many victims from cat and dog bites here at REGI. Dogs and cats are extremely dangerous for not only birds, but for many other wild animals. Please, keep your pets in the house or on a leash to spare the lives of birds as well as for the safety of your pets. 

REGI recently did a program for the First Universalist Unitarian Church in Wausau and they collected donations for us! When Samantha presented Marge with the check, Julie, the Western Red-tailed Hawk was so excited with the donations that she tried to take the check for herself! We explained to Julie that she would be paid in mice instead and she thought that was a fair trade. Thank you First Universalist Unitarian Church!

We also celebrated the release of a few of our owl patients! Three Great Horned Owls and a Barred Owl have recovered completely and are now back in the wild where they belong. Owls are nocturnal creatures so we release them at night. This makes getting decent photographs of owl releases a bit of a challenge. We managed to get a few photos for you to enjoy.

This lovely little female Barred Owl just passed her final examination and is about to spend the rest of her days back in the wild! (Photo by Don Gibson)

Marge gives the Barred Owl a few moments to gather her thoughts. It is at this point when the owl realizes she will soon be back home. (Photo by Don Gibson)

The dark spot in the middle of the photograph is one of the three Great Horned Owls that were released.  We wish them good luck in their "second" lives and we hope they never have to come back to REGI again! (Photo by Alberta Halfmann)

That's all for today. Enjoy the rest of your week!

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

Screech Release; Whip-poor-will, Tundra Swan, and Osprey Admitted; Barred Owl Update, Science Night at Lincoln High; and Why is a Harris's Hawk Black?

Hello everyone,
We are still busy here, as always, and we have some exciting news! The Eastern Screech Owl that found herself inside an Antigo woman's home after tumbling down her chimney has been released! [You can see her whole story in the Feb. 11th blog.] The little owl mistook the fire place chimney for a tree cavity, a natural living site for screech owls, and wound up inside a living room. Eastern Screech Owls generally have a range that is south of Wausau, WI, how she made it to Antigo is a mystery. Because she came in during the winter, we wanted to give her the best possible chance at survival and waited until spring to release her. We also wanted to make sure that there wasn't any underlying issues that caused this owl to become trapped inside such an unlikely abode. After monitoring and examining her, we determined she was ready to go back into the wild.

Photo above: Our Education Coordinator, Molly McKay, had the honor of releasing the little darling. Here she is preparing to open the box and welcome the owl back to the world of freedom! May she never be inside a house again!

Photo above: As soon as she was released, she went right back to being a normal owl, she straightened out her body, stuck up her feather tufts, and squinted her eyes. Many owls use this pose as a way to blend into their surroundings, and if we were just walking through the forest, we may not have noticed her clinging to that tree.


We also admitted a new patient from Wausau, WI, a Whip-poor-will who flew inside the 3M plant and couldn't find her way out. She is hungry, confused, and dusty, but has no visible injuries. Our largest concern for her is that she smells of chemicals, a very plausible scenario after being trapped inside a manufacturing facility. We are giving her frequent baths with Dawn dish soap to wash away the chemicals.
These birds are fantastically interesting and are easily confused for Nighthawks, but are smaller and lacking the white wing patches of the Nighthawk. Feeding these birds [Nighthawks, Whip-poor-wills, Nightjars, Poorwills, and even Swifts] in captivity is very difficult because they have a specialized way of hunting. It looks as if she has a tiny beak, but in reality they have a huge cavernous mouth as wide as the distance between their eyes. They open this huge net of a mouth as they are flying in the dark to capture flying insects. The force of the insect flying into their mouth pushes it down their throat meaning that they don't need or have a swallowing reflex. Trying to feed a non-flying Whip-poor-will takes a lot of patience and dedication from our wonderful rehabilitation staff, Katie Farvour and Alberta Halfmann. They do excellent work!

Photo above: This Whip-poor-will was trapped inside a local factory and is being bathed frequently to clean her feathers of the harmful chemicals she is covered in. This Whip-poor-will is a female because she is lacking the white throat patch and tail spots of a male.


Yesterday was a busy day for the rehabilitation team with many new patients admitted. They received a call about a Tundra Swan who was left alone in a pond after the other swans she was migrating with continued on their way north. She has an injured wing so she couldn't fly away, but the problem was that she was in a pond and it required a couple boats and a few fast-running feet to catch her. More about this story in an upcoming blog, but what I'll say for now is that they were able to successfully capture her and bring her to safety.

Photo above: Steve Fisher, Marge Gibson, Alberta Halfmann, and Katie Farvour are relieved after successfully capturing the injured Tundra Swan.

Photo above: Back at the REGI facility, the injured Tundra Swan was very relieved to be with swans again after her family was forced to migrate without her. You can see her left wing is injured and hanging.

An Osprey was also admitted with a broken leg. It appears that he may have been caught in some sort of jaw trap meant for mammals. His prognosis is not great as the bone is broken very near a joint, typically resulting in a calcification of the joint and a lack of mobility.

Photo above: This Osprey was admitted with a broken left leg. You can see there are abrasions to both legs, likely from a jaw trap.

Photo above: The Osprey admitted last evening was found standing this morning. A good sign, but still not a recovery.


Several blog posts ago, we wrote about a couple of Barred Owls that were admitted suffering from starvation due to unfortunate weather conditions. I am pleased to announce that these owls are now eating completely solid foods and have been moved to an outside flight enclosure. While starving, their bodies began to absorb their muscles to make up for the lack of food. Now they must exercise their muscles and rebuild them in preparation of being released. That is good news for these beautiful owls!


Photo above: These two Barred Owls have been moved to an outside flight enclosure to rebuild the muscles lost during starvation.



The education team was invited to "Science Night" at Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids and Steve Fisher and I were delighted to speak with the students and their families. It is so great that schools in the area include presentations like ours into their science activities, and it is an honor to be able to teach people about our magnificent raptors.

Photo above: Education Director, Steve Fisher, and Eastern Screech Owl, Wookie, teach the attendees of "Science Night" about the strong raptor in a tiny package.

We brought our Harris's Hawk to the program to teach people about a new species. Harris's hawks are desert dwellers and have many adaptations that allow them to live in such harsh climates. After the program, one bright young woman asked me, "If Harris's Hawks live in the desert where it is so hot, why are they black instead of a lighter color?" Wow, I never really thought about it. It would make sense for a desert species to be a lighter color so they could stay cooler in the searing midday sun. I didn't have a good answer for her so I went home and did a whole bunch of research. What I found was quite surprising, so I hope this blog post finds its way to her.

Photo above: Gypsy, our educational Harris's Hawk shows off her beautiful dark plumage.

I found a journal article that covered the topic very well. Here is the citation if you want to look it up yourself. [Ward J.M., J.D. Blount, G.D. Ruxton & D.C. Houston 2002. The adaptive
significance of dark plumage for birds in desert environments. Ardea 90(2):311-323.] They found that many avian desert species have dark colored feathers and there are a number of reasons why biologists think this has developed. First of all, the pigment in dark feathers is melanin, the same pigment that determines the color of human skin. Melanin is a strong pigment and that makes the keratin the feathers are made of stronger as a result. It is likely that these stronger feathers stand up to the inhospitableness of the desert; thorny cactuses and blowing sand. Another possible function is resistance to damage from UV-rays. Similarly seen in our species early in human evolution, people living closest to the equator developed darker skin with more melanin which helped to protect them from damaging UV-rays. After thinking about it that way, it makes a lot of sense for desert dwelling birds to have darker plumage richer in melanin. A final "simpler" explanation is visibility. The coloration in the desert is usually pretty light; tan sand, green cactuses, etc. If a bird has dark colors, like the Harris's Hawk does, it is easier for other members of the species to spot them on the landscape. Harris's Hawks are social birds and live in family groups where communication is important. These explanations all make a lot of sense to me and I am grateful for that young woman who challenged me to think about these magnificent birds in another way.

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
Wildlife Educator

Patient Update

Hello again, everyone! I'd like to share three of our new patients with you.

One of our newest patients has quite a tale to tell. A Mallard drake (male), from Merrill, WI, was brought to us with an unusual injury; his tongue was sticking out. No, he was not trying to be rude; he was grabbed by a predator that punctured and split his lower mandible allowing his tongue to protrude. Ducks use their tongues to help sift through their food and swallow, so without his tongue in his mouth, this poor fellow was unable to eat. Luckily for him, someone who had been watching and feeding him all winter noticed he was hurt within a day of his injury, and brought him to REGI for help.

Photo above: This male mallard was admitted with his tongue protruding from his lower mandible. His bill is closed and his tongue has fallen through the split in his lower jaw. (Photo credit: Marge Gibson)

It has been a couple days since his arrival and he's already doing much better! We were able to wire his lower mandible in such a way that his tongue could not fall out and he would still be able to eat. He has a long way to go for a full recovery, but we are hopeful. His mandible is still split and we will continue to monitor his progress as it fuses back together.

Photo above: Here the mallard's mandible has been wired together. You can see where the bill split at the tip, and it runs the entire length of the bill. (Photo credit: Marge Gibson)

Photo above: The same Mallard with his mandible wired together and his tongue back in his mouth. He is much happier with this arrangement. I think I almost see a smile :)


We also admitted a Barred Owl from Crandon, WI, suffering from starvation and an abrasion to his patagium from an unknown source. The man who found him was walking through the woods when he noticed the owl hanging upside down from a tree until he fell to the forest floor in front of him. He scooped him up and brought him to safety. The owl was very weak when he arrived, and we can assume the owl was asking the man for help by being obvious in his need for assistance. We are very thankful for the kindness of this man and his wife.

Photo above: The barred owl upon admission. He is very weak and as you can tell by his expression, he wasn't feeling very well. (Photo credit: Marge Gibson)

Photo above: He already looks much better, his eyes are a great deal brighter today; however, he is still very weak, and he has a long way to recovery.

Starvation is a hard thing to bounce back from, but we are doing everything we can for this beautiful owl. We are tube feeding him multiple times per day and keeping him warm. It's up to him now and his will for life.


Another Bald Eagle was admitted, and at last count, that makes 28 Bald Eagles currently in care here at REGI. This Eagle is from Eagle River and has a joint injury in his left wing. Joint injuries are tricky because they can cause a loss of motility in that joint as it heals. We will continue to monitor him, and in a few days his "cast" will be removed and he will be moved to the flight building so he can exercise and maintain flexibility in his wing.
Photo above: This Bald Eagle has a joint injury in his left wing. The tape you see in the photo is holding the wing in place so it can properly heal. It is impossible to get a bird to understand they need to sit still, but duck tape stays in place and is excellent at immobilizing a wing. Duck tape- not just for ducks anymore ;)

Because of our large number of Bald Eagles and other patients, we could definitely use your donations. When we run low on donated food items, we have to resort to purchasing them which is very, very expensive. If you don't have any food items to donate, monetary donations can help us afford to purchase them. Please keep us in mind throughout the year; we couldn't continue without your help!

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
REGI Wildlife Educator

Barred Owl, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Bald Eagle, Great Horned Owl, and Eastern Screech Owl... Oh My!

It has been a busy few days here around REGI! We have admitted quite a few new patients, six of which I'd like to share with you now.

Photo above: This Barred owl was admitted after being hit by a car near the Langlade, WI area. His first few days here were a little rough; he had blood in his nares (nostrils) which is indicative of internal damage. Internal bleeding is very common in birds that have been hit by cars and can be fatal; luckily for this gorgeous owl, his injuries are healing. We are very pleased to say that he is recovering very well and will soon be ready for release!

If you look closely at the feathers between his eyes you can see what looks like snow stuck to them. That is actually frozen water vapor that has collected from each breath he releases. That proves how perfectly suited these owls are for winter weather. They are so well insulated that their body heat is trapped below their feathers and snow doesn't even melt on them. Amazing!

Photo above: This Canada Goose was admitted this morning from the Stratford, WI area, suffering from an old gunshot injury. Being that Canada Goose hunting season ended in mid December and assuming her injury came from an attempted legal harvest, she has been braving this northern winter for a couple months, unable to fly. In areas of the Midwest that retain open water during all seasons, some Canada geese might attempt to stay the winter, but most geese have long flown South.

Her injury resulted in the loss of part of her wing which means that she will not be able to return to the wild; however, all hope is not lost. She has a big job in her future; every spring, it is inevitable that we will need to raise Canada Goose goslings. Assuming that she is able to regain her strength and a healthy weight, she will make a wonderful foster mom for many orphaned goslings.

Canada Geese are a harvestable species meaning that it is legal to shoot them during designated seasons. Injuries like the ones sustained by this Canada Goose really come down to hunter responsibility. If a poor shot is taken, it is up to the hunter to do everything they can to find the injured bird and prevent suffering. We are very thankful for the person who found this goose and brought her to safety; the world needs more people like that.

Photo above: This Trumpeter Swan cygnet (youngster) was found in the Gilman area which is in North Western Wisconsin. The area in which he was found has no open water and the reasons why he was there are unclear. He is suffering from vision problems from an unspecified injury, and also as a chip in his beak which may indicate head trauma. It is not certain that his vision will ever improve, but we will continue to monitor him. Blood tests showed no lead poisoning which is good news; one less thing he has to overcome.

Photo Above: An upsetting story... This Bald Eagle was found in the Wittenberg, WI area suffering from gunshot wounds. Some very good people found him and brought him to safety, but unfortunately, the damage from the shot was so severe it resulted in the loss of part of the wing. It is likely that he has an occupation as an education bird in his future.

Judging by the coloration on the eagle's head, he is likely around 3 or 4 years old. Bald Eagles don't get their signature "bald" head until they are about 5 years old and this fellow is still showing dark streaks.

Like we have mentioned before, harming ANY raptor is illegal! I plan to do this work for the rest of my life, and I don't think I will ever understand why someone would want to murder our National bird. We are very grateful for the kind people who rescued him.

Photo above: This Great Horned Owl from Arpin, WI was found tangled in a barbed wire fence. He has some damage to his right wing, but it looks like he will be releasable! He looks quite upset in the photo, and that is good! It means he is feeling well enough to be defensive. Great Horned Owls always have a very strong personality so that is another good sign for this guy.

Barbed wire is an especially dangerous obstacle for animals, including birds. The barbs are very effective at hooking into tissue and once an animal is caught, it often needs help from a human to get free. This owl was extremely lucky in that his injuries were minor and someone found in in a short period of time. Unfortunately, most animals found tangled in barbed wire have already died.

Barbed wire can be made "safer" by keeping the wire taut and by tying strips of light colored cloth at multiple points between each fence post. The tautness helps keep animals from twisting in between two wires and the cloth strips make the wire more visible and avoidable for low-flying birds. The same is true for other types of wire fences. They're an unexpected danger that we can and should help to reduce; after all, we are the ones putting them up.

Photo above: This Eastern Screech Owl was found in Antigo, WI, with a very interesting story. A lovely woman walked into her living room to find this adorable little Screech Owl perched atop one of her vases! Imagine her surprise! Being that the owl was covered in soot and had some roughed-up feathers, we deduced that she must have "broken in" through the fireplace chimney. This odd situation isn't as rare as you might think.

Many species of owls, including Eastern Screech Owls, are cavity-nesters, meaning that they nest in holes in trees. As luck would have it, chimneys resemble these tree cavities closely enough for owls to be confused. Raccoons have also found themselves inside people's homes after making the same mistake. If you would like to avoid having owls or raccoons ambling down your chimney, a simple chimney cap should usually do the trick.

Another odd thing about the screech-owl-in-living-room situation is that Eastern Screech Owls are generally found South of Wausau, WI; Antigo, WI is an hour, by car, north of there. Why she was this far North is a mystery.

She is being observed for several days to make sure that there isn't an underlying problem, but she is in good weight and should be released quite soon!

On top of all the patients, we were lucky enough to be visited by a few students today from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point. Two of them are here from Japan for a short time doing a training program through the University. We had a great time showing them around and they taught us about the raptors native to Japan; it was a real treat! Katie Rymer, an intern from this past summer, drove them all up to Antigo and it was great to have her "home" at REGI again!

Photo above: The students learned to handle birds during their time with us. We hope they enjoyed their time at REGI as much as we enjoyed having them! (Photo Credit: Molly McKay)

As always, thank you all for your donations and support!

We couldn't do this without you!

Have a great weekend!

Karissa Mohr

REGI Wildlife Educator