Fall Has Arrived: A REGI Patient Update

Fall seems to have arrived here at REGI.  The air has cooled and the leaves have started to blaze.  Our resident turkey vulture population has doubled in size as they begin preparations for migration.  Our clinic is still full, but not with the chirp of babies waiting to be fed.  We are awaiting the arrival of our fall interns next week; you will get to meet them soon.  These interns will have a different experience then our summer interns, without all of the baby care, but it will be equally important.  This is the first year that we will have fall interns thanks to the generous bunkhouse donation from Wausau Homes.

One of our resident vultures rides the thermals on a beautiful fall afternoon.

The bright reds and oranges make for a beautiful backdrop here at REGI.

Last week we had a very special tribute on 9/11.  We were able to release a bald eagle patient that had suffered botulism poisoning earlier in the summer.  It was an amazing moment.  Seeing her open her wings and soar was such a symbolic moment on such a somber day.

Marge Gibson (center) poses before the release with daughter (left) and friend.

We have a wide range of patients in care, some of them new patients or some just about to be released.  We anticipate that next week will be full of releases.  We have many robins ready to make a big migration along with other birds.

A beautiful sora perches in the aviary while awaiting release.  Look at the size of those feet!  They are designed for wading through the marsh.

Sora are little marsh birds that are more often heard than seen.  They have a distinct descending trill.  Their bright yellow beak is another characteristic that stands out.  This little bird was found near a marsh with a hanging wing.  His wing healed quickly and well allowing for release as soon as the weather improves.

The wing of an Eastern bluebird with severely singed feathers.

This beautiful male Eastern bluebird was found in a dog park which happens to be on the site of an old landfill.  He has obviously burned feathers and the most likely scenario is that it flew over a methane flare and was burnt.  While he will be unable to fly until he grows new feathers in he is in good health, eats well, and behaves normally.

An osprey prepares for a feeding.

This beautiful osprey was found on the ground with a severe injury on the inside of his left wing.  He will have a long road to recovery, but we are hopeful that this injury will heal.  If only the birds could tell us what happened to them!

Great-horned owl that was caught in a trap and severely injured his foot.

If you have been following our blogs for the past few years you may remember seeing quite a few patients with severe foot/toe injuries from traps.  REGI is a big supporter of trapping done well.  Each year we get 1000's of muskrats for our birds from trappers; it keeps them fed through the winter.  But trapping done poorly is the cause of many injuries each year.  We will work our hardest to save this birds toes.

I am certain that we will have many release pictures to share with you soon!  Until then, enjoy your weekend.

Molly McKay
Director of Education

Fall Has Arrived! Migration Patients, Great-horned Owl Update

Fall officially arrived yesterday at 4:19 pm! That is no surprise to those of us that live in Northern WI. The photo below was taken on REGI property August 31. Our fall colorama in the north woods of WI began weeks ago.



( Photo: This photo was taken on August 31 by the flight cage at REGI.)

I do love the four seasons. There is something exciting about the seasons changing. Fall is one of my favorite times, but spring runs a close second. Years ago I would have included winter as a favorite season. The past few years of intense cold and long stretches of WAY below zero weather from November through May have cooled my enthusiasm. I truly believe my own feelings on the subject of winter would be far more optimistic if it were not for the worry about the birds in our care. I worry about them constantly when we have very cold weather, heavy snows or worse yet, ice storms. Gone are the days of being snowbound before a roaring fireplace. My snowy bound days are now more likely spent on a roof getting the snow load off so it doesn't cave in on one of our winged residents. SIGN... someday I will remember this time as my "good old days".




( Photo: The Great-horned Owl admitted a few days ago is doing much better. The pupils are actually equal but owls have such fast reaction to light his pupils had not yet fully compensated on the right side from removing the top of his box. Included is a photo of the morning he arrived.)

I am finishing up the fall newsletter this week. I am in the middle of a piece on migration. Each time I delve into the subject there is new information and yet the bottom line remains the same. We speculate more intelligently than in years gone by why birds migrated and why they go to certain far off winter locations, we can track them now by radar and have a much better idea of where EXACTLY certain groups of species go, but it is still a remarkable undertaking for birds some of which weigh in a just a few grams.



( Photo: A juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was admitted an hour ago.)

We at REGI are tuned into migration in a big way. We begin to see species that we see only when they are "passing through". Other species nest here but get in trouble in myriad ways when migration begins and they gather in flocks. Just like when we are in groups the attention to details are less in most cases and they do things like hit lines and windows in multi story buildings.



( Photo: The Canada Goose is a common, but non the less a fascinating species.)

It is hard to believe that not all that long ago the Canada Goose was actually "reintroduced" to our state. Quite a success story I would say. The Canada Goose in the photo came in from Stevens Point. He was apparently thinking of shopping at a local furniture store and took up a place on the sidewalk. He does have vision problems however so we can forgive him. He certainly knew where to find help. I am constanly amazed at the situations that wild birds find themselves in.



( Photo: This young male Northern Cardinal met up with a cat shortly after he broke his wing. Not a good thing, but he is doing well and once he molts in some feather we think he will be released to the wild.)

The Northern Cardinal above is a lucky bird now, but he had a real bad day a few days ago. He was likely hit by a car in a residential area of Wausau, WI. The impact broke his wing. He was helpless on the ground still trying to recover from the accident when a cat ran over and grabbed him. Fortunately someone saw the situation as it occurred and called REGI. Cats kill so many songbirds. When a bird is bitten they have to be put on antibiotics quickly or a fatal infection results.

Thanks to all of our transporters that have been busy this week bringing birds from the far reaches of the state. Without you we would not be able to help so many of these amazing birds. Thank you so much.

I am off for tonight. Have a great tomorrow everyone.

Best to all,
Marge Gibson © 2009

Migration, Bald Eagle Released and More Admitted, Fall Releases

( Photo: I am preparing to release this beautiful Adult Bald Eagle. She came in with two broken wings and internal injuries after having hit a semi. She flew so strong and soared until she was out of sight. She was an incredible case. Watching her fly away after caring for her when she was so critical was like watching a miracle. We hope she is back home in Shawano now and has an uneventful remainder of her life.)




( Photos: Katie and Alberta prepare to release this American Woodcock after successful rehabilitation. I can never get enough of photos of that amazing face with huge eyes and long flexible beak.)
To say this has been a busy week is an understatement. I have tried to get to the blog but am exhausted by the time night comes. I will share some of our recent releases with you today. The best part of doing wildlife rehabilitation is the release of a bird that is 100% ready to take his place in his own world again. Sometimes we are asked if it is hard to let them go... We sure think about them after they are released but not in the longing way of wanting them with us. We are just grateful to have had the opportunity to give them a second chance at being wild birds again.



( Photos: A young Cedar Waxwing and a young Barn Swallow while they were still in a small aviary. They have since been releases along with other swallows, swifts and countless other patients from woodpeckers to and through Bald eagles and many species of ducks.)

Migration time is always busy for us. Birds coming through Northern WI from more northern regions including Canada and Upper Michigan can end up in our clinic with a variety of reasons. Last time we went over some things that happen to the Common Nighthawk. However the boreal forest to our north is home to some of the most sensitive and secretive birds on wings. Warblers are now making their way to the tropics and come grace us with their presence on their way. Many times warblers hit radio or TV towers or even tall buildings and come in with everything from slight headaches to broken wings or serious head injuries. These birds migrate at night and do not see the guide wires that hold up the very high towers. Just as if we were to run head on into a wire stretched across our path, wires pose a serious threat to migrating birds. Most are killed rather than injured. It is the lucky ones that end up in rehabilitation facilities.


(Photo: This female Bald Eagle was hit by a car near Ladysmith, WI. She has a wing fracture and internal injuries. )

The Bald Eagle in the photo above just admitted this week. She was hit by a car near Ladysmith, WI. We can expect that more eagles will be hit by cars as our deer season opens soon. Eagles do like carrion and make use of animals that are killed by cars or the die near roads and highways. If they have a full crop of food they do not fly away as quickly as they could without that extra weight on board. Kind of like after a Thanksgiving dinner. If you are driving please be aware of the extra danger to wildlife during the fall and winter seasons.

This patient is doing well and for the most part eating on her own now. She loves fish. Interestingly most bald eagles when admitted with medical problems prefer meat such as venison or beef heart as a first food.

I am off to do more releases. I promise to update the lead poisoned Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon soon.

Have a great weekend.
Marge Gibson ©2009

Migration Explosion of New Admissions, Nighthawks

( Photo: The wing of a Common Nighthawk is slender, long and pointed wings with a "window" of white. When these birds are flying overhead that white spot is a wonderful aid in identification.)

Fall migration is well underway here in Northern WI. It is an atypical year. Our resident Barn Swallow family left the property in July 24th. That used to be summertime in my memory. Apparently this year, July has become autumn.

The migration time for the Common Nighthawk begins in our area August 22nd. We don't have a firm grasp on how the birds do it, but come August 22nd unless there is a downpour of rain or worse, you can count on seeing flocks of nighthawks soaring and swooping to capture the insects that "bug" us humans.

The winter home for the Common Nighthawk is in South America. When you look up and see these magnificent winged creatures, just think about the long journey they have ahead of them to South America, as far as Argentina, and back to our region before they breed again. They are miracles on wings!

The Nighthawk is an amazing bird. They eat only insects. Their method of capturing insects is to swoop though the air with their huge mouth open trapping insects as they go.

(Photo: A Common Nighthawk being fed a high protein mixture with supplements. Note the huge mouth that opens like a garage door. The mouth opens all the way to the eyes. )

Unfortunately, when these elegant birds are doing all that that swooping, they occasionally dive in front of a car. That, is where we are REGI come in and admit them as patients. Sometimes it is a small injury but it is happens to be something major we have to "send" them to the southern states via jet plane after they have recovered or if they cannot be released they can be placed with a captive care situation.



( Photo: This distinctive light colored female Common Nighthawk was rescued by Michelle from Gleason, WI. Michelle helped capture and insisted on finding help for this beautiful bird. We are grateful. Way to go Michelle!)

People are sometimes afraid of these gentle birds in part due to their name. The dictionary definition of "hawk" includes the word as a verb which means "to swoop and strike in the manner of a hawk" . They swoop after insects with a wide open mouth measuring up to 2 inches wide. That is a BIG MOUTH!

Scientists that study such things have found over 2000 small insects in the stomach of one migrating bird at one time! Another bird held over 500 mosquitoes when examined. The Common Nighthawk is definitely beneficial to humans and a bird that we need in our lives.

( Photo: The Common Nighthawk is s gentle bird with huge eyes and mouth and a ravenous appetite for insects.)

Long ago, when birds were being named, people likely didn't quite know where to categorize these interesting looking birds. They are in the family Nightjar or sometimes Goatsuckers. We can understand the Nightjar part, but the term Goatsucker has an interesting story behind it. Long ago there was a legend that these insect eating birds sucked the milk from goats at night. As odd and even hilarious as that sounds today, people actually believed it way back when. Nightjars were killed to protect the goat milk supply. People have an active imagination especially when they feel vulnerable and not totally in control of things like at night.

So there you have it. A rundown on the amazing Common Nighthawk. We currently have eight in our clinic. I am amazed each and every time I see them.

Have a great day everyone.
Marge Gibson ©2009