Busy Day with Six Admissions, Saw-whet Owl, Broad-winged hawk, Coopers Hawk, American Goldfinch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Mourning Dove

( Photo: This adult male Coopers Hawk was admitted from the Mosinee area. He has stunning red eyes. He was shot illegally and has a wing fracture. )



(Photo: This Saw-whet Owl weighed only 54 grams when admitted.He has a broken wing. His prognosis is very good for a full recovery. )

We are often asked to describe a typical day here at REGI. The thing is, we don't have a "typical" day ever. Each day is new and different with both challenges and joys. A few days ago we took several more calls than usual after our normal hours. By morning we had five patients waiting for transport from the Wausau area. Oddly each patient has a broken wing.

The Saw-whet Owl above was likely hit by a car near Hatley, WI. He was in the middle of a highway when spotted by an alert driver. He has a wing fracture but has a great prognosis for a full recovery. That would not have been the case had he not been removed from the road. The tiny owl is also low in weight. Migration exhaustion could be the cause of his low nutrition. When birds migrate they lose weight. If the little one landed in another Saw-whet Owls territory ( breeding has started for this species) he would be chased out. Finding a comfortable place to hunt and relax is not as easy when resident birds are breeding.



( Photo: A cat got this male American Goldfinch. Cats mouths harbor deadly bacteria. Birds injured by cats need immediate antibiotic treatment if they are to survive.)

American Goldfinches are lovely little members of the finch family. Our most recent American Goldfinch is a brightly colored male. In the spring and summer we admit hundreds of cat caught passerines. This tragedy has an easy "fix" if only cat owners understood the importance of keeping their pet indoors, especially during this sensitive season. Adult birds are often killed while defending their nests or young. In the end it is not one bird killed by a cat, but the entire family if the parent is not longer there to feed babies.



( Photo: Lance Holm examines a Broad-winged Hawk with a wing fracture. )

Broad-winged Hawks travel as far as Argentine for the winter. We admitted an adult male with a broken wing. Broad-winged Hawks are fascinating. They are demure and chunky looking members of the buteo family just as Red-tailed Hawks. This patient likely just arrived from his winter migration when he was hit by a car.



( Photo: This male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker broke his wing, but is comfortable in captivity as he heals. He loves the hang out on a vertical perch and eats tons of waxworms. If you look close you can see a waxworm in his mouth. )

As always it is the public that finds these birds and brings them to us so they can have a second chance at life. Thanks everyone for stepping up and helping the wild ones when they are injured.

I have been occupied with the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. I will post news articles that ran during the past few days. I am on call to go to help out, but no one knows where the oil will come ashore or when. There are many more unknowns than solid facts at this point. We are organizing to respond when needed.

Going along with that thought. A friend, Ed Clark, posted the warning below on his blog. I will use it because he said it well.

"Many groups are soliciting fund to help oiled wildlife in the Gulf. WATCH OUT! The only group working this spill is Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. They are being paid by BP! Others claiming to be caring for oiled wildlife are either not telling the truth, or doing something other than removing crude oil from ...feathers! Watch out for predatory fundraisers capitalizing on your compassion!"

Have a great day everyone.

Marge Gibson 2010

Spring Releases Fly Free, American Robins, Red-tailed Hawks, Great-horned Owl

We admitted a beautiful female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with a broken wing. They are such great birds. She had been sipping sap from a birch tree and likely got a little loopy on the fermented sap. She misjudged either a limb or other immovable object and crashed. Yes folks, it happens even in the bird community!



( Photo: Female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has a wing fracture. She seems a little embarrassed over the situation that caused her injury.)

It has been a busy week with many spring releases. We sometimes have to hold birds over the winter or parts of the winter due to severe cold temperatures. Critically injured birds are kept on heat or incubators until they are stable. Releasing them into frigid below zero F. temperatures would be fatal. In those cases the birds are our guests until spring when they can acclimate quickly and begin life again. The first step in release is exercise or physical therapy. All birds including passerines or perching birds need to be in great physical condition before released or their survival will be compromised.



( Photo: Alberta and Katie with two adult American Robins they just caught up from the exercise aviary for the last time. Today the birds start the "rest of their life" as wild birds. One robin sustained a wing fracture in late winter and was especially anxious to leave captivity. He seemed to have a destination in mind. )



( Photo: An American Robin with blue sky behind him after release to the wild. )

We are still working on spring cleaning. With the large number of birds in our care the facility needs constant upkeep and cleaning. In the winter our ability to clean is limited. Any water used would quickly turn to ice. Living in the far north is challenging in the winter season.

We are so grateful to the UWSP and UW-Madison students that have turned out to help with the Herculean job of REGI spring cleaning. If anyone else wants to volunteer we have have plenty of projects and opportunities. Thanks everybody.



( Photo: Katelyn Thomas and Elena Yaunke members of the UWSP Pre-Vet Club work hard shoveling pea gravel into new enclosures. Pea gravel is necessary for safe footing for raptors.)

We welcomed Lori and Brian Rowe and their daughters Sarah and Jenny as volunteers on Monday. The family is doing community projects with their daughters to help them learn the value of volunteerism. What a great lesson for the girls and so helpful to REGI at the same time.



( Photo: The Rowe family, Lori and Brian and daughters Sarah and Jenny came to help us on Monday. Our Daylily bed by the flight building looks beautiful! )

We had many releases this past week. It is hard to catch up with them all for the blog. Unfortunately, many were not caught on my camera. I will post them later when I get them. Three Red-tailed Hawks and Two Great-horned Owls are free again this week after rehabilitation at REGI.

Have a great day everyone.

Marge Gibson © 2010

Spring Releases Fly Free, American Robins, Red-tailed Hawks, Great-horned Owl

We admitted a beautiful female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with a broken wing. They are such great birds. She had been sipping sap from a birch tree and likely got a little loopy on the fermented sap. She misjudged either a limb or other immovable object and crashed. Yes folks, it happens even in the bird community!



( Photo: Female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has a wing fracture. She seems a little embarrassed over the situation that caused her injury.)

It has been a busy week with many spring releases. We sometimes have to hold birds over the winter or parts of the winter due to severe cold temperatures. Critically injured birds are kept on heat or incubators until they are stable. Releasing them into frigid below zero F. temperatures would be fatal. In those cases the birds are our guests until spring when they can acclimate quickly and begin life again. The first step in release is exercise or physical therapy. All birds including passerines or perching birds need to be in great physical condition before released or their survival will be compromised.



( Photo: Alberta and Katie with two adult American Robins they just caught up from the exercise aviary for the last time. Today the birds start the "rest of their life" as wild birds. One robin sustained a wing fracture in late winter and was especially anxious to leave captivity. He seemed to have a destination in mind. )



( Photo: An American Robin with blue sky behind him after release to the wild. )

We are still working on spring cleaning. With the large number of birds in our care the facility needs constant upkeep and cleaning. In the winter our ability to clean is limited. Any water used would quickly turn to ice. Living in the far north is challenging in the winter season.

We are so grateful to the UWSP and UW-Madison students that have turned out to help with the Herculean job of REGI spring cleaning. If anyone else wants to volunteer we have have plenty of projects and opportunities. Thanks everybody.



( Photo: Katelyn Thomas and Elena Yaunke members of the UWSP Pre-Vet Club work hard shoveling pea gravel into new enclosures. Pea gravel is necessary for safe footing for raptors.)

We welcomed Lori and Brian Rowe and their daughters Sarah and Jenny as volunteers on Monday. The family is doing community projects with their daughters to help them learn the value of volunteerism. What a great lesson for the girls and so helpful to REGI at the same time.



( Photo: The Rowe family, Lori and Brian and daughters Sarah and Jenny came to help us on Monday. Our Daylily bed by the flight building looks beautiful! )

We had many releases this past week. It is hard to catch up with them all for the blog. Unfortunately, many were not caught on my camera. I will post them later when I get them. Three Red-tailed Hawks and Two Great-horned Owls are free again this week after rehabilitation at REGI.

Have a great day everyone.

Marge Gibson © 2010