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

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

Baby Passerines Pour In, House Finches, American Robins, Ducklings and Gosling, Sandhill Crane With Leg Injury and Lead Poisoning.

( Photo: This is the first sight I see in the morning and the last thing at night, and a few times in the middle of the night! These mouths belong to the nestling House Finches pictured below. Nestling passerines have to be fed every 20 minutes their first week of life.)

Whew! We have been BUSY at REGI. We admitted 18 baby birds of various species and varieties including Eastern Phoebes, American Robins and House Finches, Mallard ducklings and Canada Gosling, and a Bluebird just in the past few days. We also admitted an adult Sandhill Crane ,American Kestrel,and a Red-tailed Hawk.

The phone is ringing often these days with calls about injured birds, baby birds in trouble and sometimes just bird related questions. We like the questions especially if it means we can keep baby birds with their parents to be raised naturally and without human intervention.



( Photo: House Finch nestlings are adorable with bright red mouths and soft melodic voices even when they are tiny. The little ones can easily be mistaken for the House Sparrow which is an invasive species and not well liked in most birding circles.)



(Photo: Four hatchling American Robins snuggle in this tissue. )



( Photo: An American Robin nestling just hatched. You can see the tendency to curl into the shape of the egg is still natural for this tiny one. It is hard to believe this tiny mite will be turn into the State Bird of Wisconsin in a few months. )



( Photo: These four little Mallard Ducks became orphans when their mom was hit by a car near Wausau.)



( Photo: The frightened ducklings ( above) were soon asleep under the heat lamp after their stressful morning.)

Most of the birds we care for come from members the of the public that either see an accident or other injury occur and call REGI for help. A young woman was on her way to work when she saw a female Mallard Duck hit by a car. She was horrified to see several tiny ducklings scatter into the underbrush. The ducklings had been following their mother across the busy road. This stellar young woman did what any daughter would, she called her dad for help! Her parents soon arrived on the scene, scooped up the ducklings and brought them to REGI.



( Photo: Alberta holds a Canada Goose gosling. It was found wandering alone near a lake in Shawano County. )



( Photo: More House Finch babies arrived today from Lincoln County. These are younger than the group admitted this weekend. )

Friday night we responded to a call near Hatley, WI. A Sandhill Crane, unable to walk well was caught up by a landowner and needed help transporting her. We found Kathy and Jay Drobnik waiting with the crane as we arrived. Not only did the crane have a leg/hip injury but was thin and exhibited other neurological signs. We tested her and found she had lead poisoning. We don't find lead poisoning in Sandhill Cranes often. When we asked, the Drobniks mentioned the lake was very low. I will explain why that is a problem and why it can lead to lead poisoning in a future blog.



( Photo: This adult female Sandhill Crane was likely hit by a car and sustained a hip injury. We were surprised to find she also has lead poisoning.)

Forgive the haste of this writing. Baby birds are calling and need to be fed. More photos and updates soon.

As always, our thanks to the great folks that have played a part in saving these fragile creatures. Have a great tomorrow everyone.

Marge Gibson © 2010

American Woodcock Release, Mallards Released,

( Photos: This is our former "baby" American Woodcock, now grown just moments before its release to the wild.
Included are #1 the "baby" picture, #2 The now grown woodcock after its physical and then #3 just as he is being released into the forest.)

There is nothing that makes a day brighter than when we have the chance to release some of our patients back to the wild where they were meant to be. Updating their category as "former patients" is a task we are happy to do.

Katie drove to get this little one after a cat grabbed it near Tomahawk. Woodcocks have such fascinating life histories we were absorbed by the little one from the first day. From my perspective, admitting unusual species when the interns are with us,gives them additional research to do and adds to their preparedness for a life working with wildlife.

( Photo: Aprill, Lance, Natasha and Katie were all smiles after the release. We were all still in the forest, perfect Woodcock habitat.)


I wrote about the adult Woodcock being with this youngster in past blogs entries. Unfortunately we were not able to release the adult with the youngster, but he was 100% ready to be a wild bird and was happy to show us upon release. While we were trying to get photos in the deep forest, he took off flying fast in an effort to put as much space between us and him as possible.

Selecting perfect release habitat is very important to the success of the birds. If released in poor habitat with poor food availability or with strong weather looming can spell disaster for the former patient. Interns learn the importance of the entire process at REGI.





( Photos: Mallard ducks now, grown and flying were released by Natasha, Lance and Alberta on the Red River.
My joyous crew offers a goodbye wave to the mallards now happily seeking the rest of their life.)

When four Mallard Duck ducklings were admitted on May 2 ( see blog for that day) our hearts went out to them. They were pulled from a sewer by a Wausau Police Officer having fallen there following their mother to water on the day of their hatch.

They grew fast and did perfectly during the past seven weeks. It was time for them to be on their own. They were raised by a female Mallard Duck patient for several weeks and were definitely not happy with being caught up for their final physicals. Chubby and feather perfect they were put into a box for the trip to the Red River and perfect habitat for them to continue to thrive.

( Photo: Our Mallard ducklings in mid May with their foster mom Mallard. She was released prior to the ducklings release and is also now free.)
They went out into the water and quickly began eating all the things they grew to love back at REGI and some of the things we were never able to provide for them. It was wonderful to watch them play and eat with such self confidence.

A quick update on our Great Blue Heron chick. He is hardly a baby anymore and is now aware of fish for the first time. The photo is of his first hunting pose the other day when he discovered fish in a pail.


Have a great day everyone. We go into surgery with the Bald Eagle in the morning so be thinking of us.

Marge Gibson 2009

Baby Birds Flood In to REGI

We are admitting many patients each day now. We receive 10-15 patients a day at this point. That will only increase as summer approaches.



Baby birds of every shape and species are pouring through the door. Here are some of their photos! They grow so quickly. Baby passerines can go from egg to flight in as little as 8 days. It is hard to even imagine the process unless you have experienced it.


Passerines need to be fed every twenty minutes their first week of life from sun-up to sundown. The next time you see adult birds such as robins in a frantic search for food you can appreciate the reason.

The Saw-whet Owl admitted from Merrill late last week is currently in an exercise flight. We are encouraged with her quick recovery from her head injury. Her vision has all but returned. We will check her depth perception and hearing in the flight. An owls hearing is just as important as their sight. About sixty percent of an owls hunting ability comes from hearing. A head injury could cause problems with hearing so we need to make sure hers is spot on before we send her home. We hope her mate has been taking good care of the youngsters in her absence. Male birds, raptors in particular are incredible parents and can take over raising young without the female in most cases. At REGI we have male foster parents that rear orphans from tiny through release with no female present. I am always tempted to write the "Father of the Year" contests for some of our special "dads".



(Photo: Mallard ducklings in brooder on the left and Canada Goose goslings on the right. The duckings are much bigger than the goslings at this point, but that will not last for long.)

The ducklings rescued by a Wausau Police Officer are growing. They are about ¾ the size of adult Mallards now. They are ravenous all of the time. We wish duckweed was developed on ponds in the area. We harvest the duck weed and bring it home for our ducklings. There is nothing better for them to grow in. Tiny invertebrates hide in the duck weed and give them a meal filled with all the natural things they need. UNFORTUNATELY it has been so cold in our region the duckweed is not yet out in ponds. We are making due with lots of meal worms and wax worms as well as a specialized diet for them. Thanks to Dale Waterhouse of Jada Baits in Antigo for continuing to provide us with cast off wax worms and Lori Schubring owner of Wild Birds Unlimited Wausau. Lori offers “Bird Bucks” at her store on certain items such as books. The public can use the "Bird Bucks" as money off their next order OR donate them to REGI and WE can buy things we need for our patients. YEA! I got 5,000 meal worms yesterday just using the bird bucks. A friend of REGI John Jacobs of Antigo also raises meal worms for our hungry birds. You know your lifestyle is a little different from the rest of the world when you celebrate the gift of insects with the enthusiasm that we do.

The young Canada geese admitted last Wed from Marshfield are growing beautifully. The Mallard ducklings picked on the goslings when they were first admitted. We had to laugh at the sight knowing that soon the goslings would be giant size neighbors to the Mallard Ducks. They better hope the goslings don’t hold a grudge from that first day.

Wood Duck ducklings are very high stress and high energy babes. I can tell when a caller has a box of Wood Ducks when they call just by the sound or their frantic and distinctive peeping. They jump like little jumping beans and find it hard to settle down. We admitted a little Wood Duck family from Medford when their mom was hit by a car as she led them to a pond. Sadly not all survived but those that have are doing very well. They eat insects exclusively their first month of life. The insects have to be small because this duck species is ultra tiny when hatched. We buy frozen bloodworm's, they type people feed tropical fish, from the pet store for our Wood and Merganser ducklings as a first food.


An adult male Coopers Hawk was admitted from Plover. He had been shot. This is an old bird as his eye coloration is so intense. The gray feathers and the deep orange-red eyes are typical of older birds. What a shame he will never fly again. Shooting any native bird is illegal, but happens more than we like to admit. It is actually against the federal law in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Tomorrow will be an exciting day as our summer interns are arriving! The addition of college interns is energizing for all of us.

Best to all,

Marge Gibson © 2009

Mothers Day Babies Are Arriving

( Photo: Coming into rehabilitation weak and tired day old Sandhill Crane colt. Nicki Christianson photo)

Mothers Day is the beginning of our “baby season”. From this time through September we will be working eighteen to twenty hour days, seven days a week without exception.
We are used to long days and sometimes even longer nights with critical care cases, but once baby birds are in care at REGI our life begins to revolve around them and their needs. Wild birds began singing this morning at 4:45 A.M. That is my signal to get up and begin my day stuffing little mouths until the crew arrives.

(Photo: Passerine nestlings have to be fed every 20 minutes the first week of life.It is hard to miss that big mouth! )

We care for a wide range of species at REGI. Passerines, or perching birds are the tiniest babies and have to be fed every twenty minutes their first week of life. They have a huge calorie need to fuel their tremendous growth rate. Some passerines such as the field sparrow and warblers go from hatch to flight in 9 days. You can see why the parent birds are so busy bringing food to the nest. We identify with those busy parents and know exactly what they are going through.  Our region has had several days of freezing temperatures again. That translates into lots of babies not being able to survive in the natural world. As a result we see an influx of fragile patients admitted.

Currently we have baby Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and a Field Sparrow in the passerine incubators.

( Photo: The Mallard ducklings spend part of the day outside now.)

The Mallard ducklings that came in last week have grown so much. They weighed in at nearly 9 ounces this morning. That is over half a pound! They hatched just ten days ago and came in weighing as much as quarter. They spend part of everyday outside now, but still need supplemental heat. They are swimming and enjoying chasing each other in the grass. These are games that make their bodies strong and teach them life skills they will need when they are older.

We have a Sandhill Crane colt. He was admitted on Saturday morning from Milladore, WI. Farm workers were tilling a field and accidentally separated the day old colt from its parents. The colt ran into a machine shed where it was found late in the day. By that time he was hypothermic and needed additional care rather than simply be reunited with his parents. We hope to reunite them in the future. Once again it was friend and mammal wildlife rehabilitator Nicki Christianson that did the actual rescue of the colt and cared for it overnight until we could meet at a midway point early the next morning. We are sure Nicki is a real angel. We appreciate her so much. She has her hands full with baby squirrels these days and didn’t need the additional drama in her life that Sandhill Crane colts bring.

The Sandhill colt has had a rocky beginning. We nearly lost him this weekend, but he is finally gaining strength. Sandhill Cranes have specific needs to assure they grow and develop normally. For instance even at his tiny size he has to be walked a mile or more a day to assure a proper growth of his muscle and ligament particular those in his soon to be long legs. He hatched at about six inches tall but will be full size and flying in fifty-six days! Without a huge amount of exercise he would soon reach a point where he could not walk or use his legs. And since he cannot be out doors walking alone at this point we are also getting our exercise running him around the track.

Sometime very interesting happened here a few days ago. Sadly, it seems our resident wild Sandhill Crane pair has lost their youngster. They are however showing strong interest in our little colt just as he is interested in them. If we are unable to reunite him with his own parents we may well be able to wild foster him to them. It is essential that he maintain his ties with his own species. Once his condition is absolutely stable and the weather warms we will make a strong effort at wild fostering. Stay tuned to see what happens.

It will be yet another exciting release day today! The Bald Eagle that was impaled with a seventeen inch stick and was admitted on April 6th (check blog for that day for photos and story) will be released this afternoon at 3:30. Her story is incredible. I will write about it as a separate entry. Lets just say when she was injured she and her mate had eggs in the nest and now they have eaglets. Her mate is and incredible dad and needs a father of the year award!

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Marge Gibson © 2009