MacKenzie Friends Group Presentation, More Bald Eagle Leg-Hold Trappings

I had a terrific time Thursday night talking to the Friends of Mackenzie Environmental Center in Poynette. What a wonderful group of people. We had a nice time, even though most of my power point presentation disappeared into cyberland somewhere. Gratefully, we were able to enjoy the birds I brought. I neglected to get some photos of the presentation. Perhaps some of the folks will send me a few so I can get them on the blog. Thanks to everyone there. Friends groups are invaluable volunteers for groups like Mackenzie and REGI, and no one knows that or respects their contribution more than I do.

It was late when I got home. I was tired, but happy to know such good folks are working for wildlife and the environment in our state. It will take everyone doing their part to make a difference in our world. That is a fact.


( Photo: Adult male Bald Eagle with severe injuries to his left leg and foot from a leg hold trap set for a coyote.)

Friday morning hit with a bang with a call about yet another adult Bald Eagle in a leg-hold trap set for a Coyote. This time it was an illegal trap set in a nearby county. The DNR Wardens and Biologist were called to investigate and found the Bald Eagle caught up in the trap. They were able to get him out of the trap and transported him partway to REGI where I met them and took him the remainder of the way to the clinic.

( Photo: This banded adult Bald Eagle has a crushing injury to the leg, high up in the feathered area, as well as the toes. )

The injuries in the photo look like little "cuts" but reality are crushing injuries that destroy nerves and cause tissue death. This is particularly true in cases where the bird is held in the trap for an extended period. ( traps are not always checked everyday and in some cases are not required to be.) The pressure of the jaw trap cuts off circulation to the leg/foot. In cold country like WI, that lack of circulation makes the leg susceptible to frost bite. Now, you have not only a compression of the tissue and nerves but tissue death from freezing.

This adult Bald Eagle was banded in the nest. We have already called the band number in to the Bird Banding Laboratory. They will be able to tell us who banded him, where he was banded, and even the date he was banded. The researcher may well know who his parents were, etc. Sadly, with the State of WI cutbacks, the eagle and raptor banding programs were pretty much eliminated ten years ago or more. These days, raptor or avian biologists band birds on their own time when possible, but it is no longer part of the state program. We've learned so much about various species including Bald Eagles through the years banding was done. There is still so much to learn. It is a shame the banding was not able to continue. It is one of those programs the public is hardly aware of until it is gone, along with the future data.


The prognosis is not good for this Bald Eagle. An eagle with one leg cannot survive in the wild because it cannot hunt adequately to feed itself, let alone a family. A heavy-bodied bird like an eagle cannot even live in captivity with only one leg. The eagle's entire weight centered on only one foot creates a fatal foot problem called Bumblefoot.

We are going to do everything possible, as we always do, for him and hope we beat the odds.

I feel like I have to apologize to these magnificent birds that have survived the 60-70% mortality of first-year raptors. Only the best of the best live to become adults and then they are taken in such a horrible manner.



(Photo: Some of the wonderful people that rescued the Medford Mill Pond,Domestic Geese on Friday afternoon. )

We did have some good news yesterday afternoon. The group of seven domestic geese that were dumped on Mill Pond in Medford were all rescued without so much as a ruffled feather, at least on the geese. They were transported to a terrific hobby farm where they can live out their lives with other geese. By all accounts the geese were visibly relieved to see a barn with straw, protection from predators and other geese. Thanks to the group of people that came together to save them.

Rosie, the domestic goose encased in ice that came into care at REGI last week, is doing wonderfully. She and our resident gander are happily in love, preening and caressing each other with great vigor. She does have vision loss in the eye near the site where the dog bit her head, but that should not be a problem as long as she lives in a protected environment.
And.. the gander seems not to care. :)

More patients keep coming in and I am up to my eyebrows in end-of-year paperwork.
Have a good weekend everyone.

Marge Gibson © 2010

More Leg Hold Trap Injuries, Red-tailed Hawk, Great-horned Owl

It has been a whirlwind of a few days here at REGI. I have several lectures coming up starting tomorrow, the education team is busy with school programs and the rehabilitation team is also busy with some awful new cases.



( Photo: This adult Great-horned Owl was caught in a leg hold trap. He voiced his opinion about that loudly and often today as we tending his injury.)



( Photo: The toe of the Great-horned Owl was caught in a leg hold trap meant for a coyote. A large trap, it did some real damage to the toe. Notice the swelling of the digit due to crushing of the bone and tissue. Owls need all of their talons to be in working order to hunt adequately. We hope this one can recover and be released again. But, he will miss breeding season this year. )

Sadly, we have had even more leg hold trap injuries. They are not for the faint of heart, but it is something we deal with often. Stop here if you don't want to see some awful stuff.



( Photo: This beautiful adult Red-tailed Hawk was trapped in a jaw leg hold trap likely meant for a Coyote, Bobcat or Muskrat. )

I think the only way to discourage this careless activity is for everyday people to see what happens way to often to protected "non-target_ species. People tell me that we must " get used to it", but you never do. The Red-tailed Hawk in these photos was obviously "released" from the trap by a human. He was then left to starve since he was unable to hunt. The injury occurred at least a week before he was found and brought to our clinic. I cannot even fathom the pain he was in for that time. He was humanely euthanized upon arrival at REGI. You also never get "used" to that.



( Photo: Leg hold trap injuries are brutal. This leg and the life of the bird, could not be saved as the foot had lost circulation days before the bird was brought into REGI.)

These injuries were "accidental" as the raptors are non-target species. They were likely legally set traps. Trappers have to be aware of "non-target wildlife" when they place traps. Sadly many appear to not have that knowledge.

But enough about my day. :( We hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Please remember the people in Haiti tonight, as I will. They have a struggle ahead that we can only imagine, after the tragic earthquake yesterday.


Marge Gibson © 2010

Leg Hold Trapped Eagle Update, New Leg Hold Trapped Great-horned Owl Admitted

( Photo: Don holds the Bald Eagle caught in a leg hold trap in late October.)

Our patient, the Bald Eagle caught in a leg hold trap in late October has become an emotional favorite not only with REGI staff but with our facebook and blog public too. Our weather has been unseasonably warm this week so yesterday he was transferred to an outdoor flight. This is in anticipation of his eventual release. He has come a long way since he was admitted.

Honestly, I never thought I would see the day when he was flying again as he is today. You might recall his wings were badly battered as he struggled to stay afloat during the three days he spend in the Wisconsin River. He is still not "out of the woods" and will come back indoors when the weather turns frigid later this week. For now however he is outdoors for the first time since he was admitted.

While all of our patients are special, this Bald Eagle is even more so than most. His is incredibly patient with us and his predicament. I wish I could share with everyone just how amazing he is. For the few folks that have seen this eagle in person, you know exactly what I mean.



( Photo: The Bald Eagle is finally outdoors after his harrowing ordeal. Notice he is looking at his feet. I cannot help but wonder what he is thinking.)

Physically, "Trapper" has not gained the weight I hoped he would. He weighs 7lbs. 11ozs.and is significantly underweight for a male northern Bald Eagle . The good news is that is still 2 lbs more than he weighed when admitted. His foot is still swollen and tender. He still suffers from physiologic stress, but is making progress. I will continue to update you on his progress.

If he makes it through the many hurdles left before he regains full health, we will have to have a huge celebration. We keep our fingers crossed for the day his release to the wild becomes reality.


( Photo: This Great-horned Owl that was caught in a leg hold trap that was apparently set for squirrels in Grand Rapids, WI late last week.)

The theme of leg hold trapped birds continued this week as a Great-horned Owl was admitted from the Grand Rapids area. The trapping injuries are usually accidental with the birds being a "non-target species" when it is trapped. Sadly, even with an accidental trapping, the result is still devastating for the birds and REGI's budget.

Our thanks to friend and fellow wildlife rehabilitator Nicki Christianson and Officer Roe of the Grand Rapids, WI Police Department for rescuing this owl and to Nicki for doing emergency care before the owl was transferred to REGI. The owl suffered substantial blood loss. He is beginning to eat his own however and we hope he will regain his strength soon. His foot has serious injuries, including a fractured toe and foot. We hope for a quick rehab on this bird as it is an adult male.

Winter is am important time in the life of a Great-horned Owl. It is now that they begin to cement their "pair bonding" in anticipation of nesting which occurs in January of February even in our region. We will update you on his progress. We will know better in a few days how quickly the foot will recover. Not only will the bones have to heal but he will need to regain full movement of the toes as well to be a successful hunter.

Raptors hunt and live by their powerful talons. Releasing a bird without his full griping power compromises their hunting ability. Often raptors with injures such as these, die of starvation in the wild. They are not able to hunt and therefore unable to feed themselves or their family if they are injured during nesting season.


( Photo: Great-horned Owl suffered a injury to his leg and talons when caught in a leg hold trap.)

Many thanks to my staff and volunteers that took charge at REGI last week while I enjoyed family time in the form of an early Thanksgiving with our family in the southern part of the U.S. Our great staff allows us to truly relax and enjoy the time away while knowing the patients and resident birds at home are getting the best of care.

Have a great day everyone.
Marge Gibson © 2009

Good News, Sad News and In-between News

Guess who that is ripping into the fish? Yup, we are delighted to say that it is the male Bald Eagle that was trapped on the Wisconsin River and found a week ago today.



( Photo: Eating his first whole food since being admitted on the night of Oct 25th, this Bald Eagle is making progress.)



( Photo: A very cooperative Bald Eagle being weighed. He gained 1 lb. 5 ozs. He seems to know that is a good thing.)

It is very good news that the trapped Bald Eagle has made great progress. He is still fighting pneumonia. That fact alone makes him still a critical case. We are trying hard not to get too excited! He has not had solid food or eaten on his own since admission. He has however gained 1 lb. 5 ozs. That speaks well of REGI staff that tube fed him liquid food and gave supportive around the clock care the past week. We are going slow on solid food, but he is eating beef heart strips.

He has started to flap those very battered wings. Keep those positive thoughts coming his way.

As I write this blog I am struggling how to identify individual birds in conversation. Before the blog it was not an issue. All birds in rehabilitation have a patient number. They are referred to by their number ( however affectionately) or are called by the place they came from. But, before the blog we talked to each other (staff) about the birds and not the public. We've never "named" patients if they are releasable. Our policy has been it sends the wrong message to the public. USFWS, the federal agency that issues our permits feels that way too. The birds are not "ours". Naming them kind of indicates they are. The problem is we currently have fifteen Bald Eagles in, three admitted this week. I am not sure how to explain each? I would love some input from our blogging public. We sometimes identify with location. We could call the trapped Bald Eagle, Grandfather Falls since he was found near that location. We could call him Tomahawk since he was found near that town. I will wait for some ideas from you folks. As I continue writing today you will see it is getting complicated.



( Photo: Ken Day and his grandson were out scouting some deer hunting areas when he saw an immature Bald Eagle hit by a car on Hwy 29 near Hatley.)

Ken and his grandson witnessed the eagle hit by a car. Traffic was fast approaching. Quick thinking Ken sprang into action to prevent further injury to the eagle. He carefully moved the eagle off the road until he could get gloves and a jacket to wrap around the big bird. He called REGI and drove the eagle directly to us. They arrived about an hour ago.

While we don't normally encourage the public to handle a Bald Eagle, there is little doubt that Ken saved this eagles life. He was also a great role model to his young grandson. Too many people in this world think it is the responsibility of "someone else" to do everything. Stepping up to the plate in a situation like this is inspiring! Thanks Ken!

The eagle has some internal bleeding and a possible spinal injury. We will not know how severe the injuries are for a few days. As I write this however, Katie stopped in to say he was trying to stand.


( Photo: This 3-4 year old male Bald Eagle owes him life to Ken Day and his quick actions.)




( Photo: This young male Northern Cardinal was attacked by a cat. He was not feeling too well in this photo taken on admission.)

A young male Northern Cardinal was admitted late yesterday afternoon. He was attacked by a cat. Cat bites are serious stuff for birds. If they are to survive they need antibiotics ASAP. Fortunately, that is exactly what happened in this case. The homeowner picked her up and got her to REGI. This morning...no kidding...he is singing. It will be awhile before he is released. He lost tail feathers in the incident. They have to grow in. He is in a heated cage and will remain on antibiotics for a week, but I think he will live to see another spring.

Our sad news is an adult Sandhill Crane was caught in a leg hold trap near Arpin. The leg was crushed and the bone infected. We had no option in this case. The beautiful male was euthanized. It was the landowner that saw this horrible situation, caught up the bird and called for help. Wildlife Rehabilitator, Nicki Christianson, from the WI Rapids area responded for REGI on this case. I cannot say enough about how much Nicki has assisted REGI in Wood And Adams Country. She is amazing! Thanks to everyone. Even if the result was not what we hope for, he is no longer suffering.



The weather has cleared somewhat today. It gives us a day to hustle and finish winterizing before winter arrives in earnest.
PLUS, we have to watch that important Green Bay Packer game this afternoon.

Have a good Sunday everyone.
Marge Gibson © 2009