Summer Patient Update

Hello everyone!  Everything is in full swing here at REGI with patients coming and going and lots of changes happening.  Some of you have been calling hoping to join us on tours but we have had to delay tours for a short time due to the weather and construction.  We are hoping to have everything up and running again starting next week.

A Willow Tree is cleaned up after high winds brought it down in a storm.

We had a round of severe storms sweep through the area last week and are still in the process of cleaning up.  Above you can see our beloved Weeping Willow that gave shelter to many visitors and provided food to many birds being cleaned up after falling in the storm.  This tree was a special place for a releasing many songbirds where they can slowly readjust to being back in the wild while eating from the plentiful feeders.  The Willow was one of many trees that came down around REGI and we are sad to see it go.

Construction workers frame the newest building on the REGI property.

One of the other causes of delay to our tours is a construction project.  Our original REGI building and enclosures, which we called the "Middle Mews", has been torn down and is in the process of being replaced with a new building.  The "Middle Mews" had been at REGI since it's inception in 1990 and were showing serious signs of age.   The new building will house more birds and provide more space for some of our larger raptors.  We will keep you updated at the building process comes along.

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird perches atop her feeder.

This beautiful female Ruby-throated Hummingbird (above) came in suffering from what we suspect to be chemical poisoning.  Herbicide and pesticide use in yards affects wildlife and can be fatal, although many people don't realize the dangers.  Fortunately she seems to be recovering from the neurological effects of the chemicals and we anticipate her release in the near future.  You can often hear her humming in her enclosure as she exercises her wings.

Fluffy American Kestrel chicks are among REGI's many orphans this summer.

Do you recognize the two little American Kestrel chicks (above) from our blog two weeks ago?  They were still tiny balls of fluff but growing rapidly.

Female Kestrel fledgling intently watches the camera.

A young Kestrel already displays the beautiful blue of a male on his wings.

They have already reached their adult sizes and are now gaining their adult plumage although you can still tell they are juveniles by the downy fluff surrounding them, particularly on their heads (see above.)  When you last met them we were just beginning to see the markings that tell us if they are male or female and now it is quite clear.  The Kestrel in the top photo has reddish brown and black barring all across her wings brown streaking on her chest which tell us that she is a female, while the Kestrel on the bottom has blueish gray wings with a lighter smoother chest and black markings telling us that he is a male. 

Northern Flicker preparing for release.

This Northern Flicker (above) came in along with his siblings when their nesting tree came down earlier in the summer.  They were completely naked and the size of a thumb each.  He was recently released and can still be seen hanging around the REGI neighborhood.  You can see the yellow feather shafts on his wings which is indicative of an Eastern bird, Western flickers have red feather shafts on the wings.

A juvenile Bald Eagle joins his new foster father .

Our ever faithful foster Bald Eagle has his first baby of the year (above.)  The eaglet that you met in the last blog has graduated to the flight building and is ready for the care of a foster parent.  Our foster Eagle will care for the young eaglet and show him the ropes as he finished his recovery.  So far the chances for a future release are looking good.

Intern, Kerry McVey, holds a Bald Eaglet in preparation for a feeding.

This young Eagle (above) came in weak and starving at the incredibly low weight of four pounds.  Birds suffering from starvation need to be gradually weaned onto solid foods and must be tube fed for a long period of time.  While the road to recovery will be long for this bird we are feeling hopeful.  He has gained two pounds so far and is continuing to grow.

So, the clinic is packed and we are ever busy!  There are many summer programs coming up in the next weeks.  Keep your eyes on the REGI website events page to follow our events.

Molly McKay
Director of Education

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

                          ___
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                     / ~ -...- ~ \     you?"
                    |\` ~. ~ .~ `/|
                 () | `~ - ^ - ~` |   - Barred Owl
             () //  | ;  '  :  .  |
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           ___/ /_____'.   ; ' .'____
                 _   ^ `uu---uu`    /\
          _____________^ _________^_\/
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A Big, Huge, Giant Update

We have had SO much going on around here and I need to try to fit it all into one gigantic blog update... Here goes!

The education team has been very busy with lots of programs. It's a good-busy though, we are not complaining! :D On Wednesday, Education Coordinator, Molly McKay and I did a program for the Tri-County Area School District after-school program in Plainfield, WI. On Thursday, Molly did a program for the Popplewood 4H club in Ringle, WI. We had a wonderful time at both of these programs! We never get tired of doing programs at new locations... or familiar locations for that matter! We are often invited back, and we love it! Everywhere we go, we meet so many great people interested in the beautiful raptors we work with. Rightfully so, the raptors will take your breath away! If you are among the lucky that have met some of our raptors, you know this is true. If you haven't met them yet, you really should!

On Friday, Molly and I did three programs for Edgar Elementary School. This was a very exciting trip for me because I grew up in Marathon City, only a few minutes away from Edgar, WI. In addition, my wonderful little cousin, Madison Borchardt is a 1st grader at Edgar Elementary, and was able to see all of the wonderful birds we had to share.

Photo above: I am teaching the students of Edgar Elementary School about owls with help from Barred Owl, Malcolm. (Photo credit: Molly McKay)

Photo above: Education Coordinator, Molly McKay teaches the students about Peregrine Falcons during our third and final program at Edgar Elementary. The arrow is pointing to my darling cousin, Madison. I love you sweetie!


On Saturday, Molly and I traveled 7 hours round trip to Edgerton, WI to speak with members and friends of the Sterling North Society at Sterling's very own historic home and barn. Sterling North was an author and animal lover who grew up in Edgerton, WI. He has written many great books, the most well known being "Rascal," subtitled "a memoir of a better era," in which he writes about his trying childhood and special bond with his pet raccoon, Rascal. If you would like to learn more about the Sterling North Society, follow this link! Molly and I had a terrific time and want to thank everyone from the Sterling North Society for their wonderful hospitality!

Photo above: Sterling North's home in Edgerton, WI.


The rehabilitation team has also been extremely busy with many new patients. The baby season has arrived and tots have been slowly adding up.

We currently have three Bald Eagle patients in our clinic with a fourth on the way. That means we have 42 big, beautiful Bald Eagles under our care at REGI in addition to the dozens of other birds in need of help.

Photo above: This Bald Eagle from Birnamwood, WI is suffering from starvation. As you can tell, he is in very poor condition. We are tube feeding him several times per day in hopes that he will continue to fight. He is standing, which is a positive sign, but I'm tentative about being overly optimistic right now.

Photos above: This Bald Eagle from St. Germain, WI was found grounded under the nest he is guarding. He is eating well, and things are looking promising for him. We would like to get him back out to his nest as soon as we can to take some of the burden off of his mate, but he has some trauma from a possible fall.

Photo above: This Bald Eagle from Keshena, WI was admitted after having a "disagreement" with another Eagle. He is able to fly and is currently in a flight enclosure so he can maintain his flight muscles.

Photo above: This beautiful Red Tailed Hawk was found in someone's back yard in Wausau, WI. He has a broken right wing and is extremely thin, suggesting that he has been unable to fly for some time. How he broke his wing, we are unsure, but we do know that he wouldn't have lasted much longer without help. If this bird looks unusually light to you, you're correct. Red Tailed Hawks can have amazing color variations within the species, from deep browns to creamy tans. The more extreme the color variation, the less commonly you'll see them. This beautiful light male is less common and extremely gorgeous.


Photo above: This Great Horned Owl from Antigo, WI was found by some kind and observant turkey hunters with an injury to his left wing and smelling of skunk, a common occurrence when rehabilitating Great Horned Owls. These powerful and confident owls frequently take skunks, but when hunting for such large prey, they risk getting injured in the process. That is likely what happened to this fellow.


We also admitted our second baby Great Horned Owl. This youngster is underweight and needs to be tube fed several times per day.

Photo above: Even at this young age, Great Horned Owls have all the tenacity in the world.


Photo above: Tubing the baby. He's underweight and dehydrated so tube feeding is absolutely necessary to improve his condition. That doesn't mean they like it though...

Photo above: He looks pleased to have that yucky tube out of his throat. ;)

Photo above: As busy as we get, we always have time to pause to watch a baby swallow a mouse. It is such a terrific undertaking for an owlet to swallow a mouse, but they are able to accomplish it each time, and I am always amazed.

The first baby Great Horned Owl admitted last week is doing well. She is eating like a champion and growing quickly. We do have some concerns about her vision though. We need to do more vision testing, but if we do find that she has trouble seeing, it is likely that her parents noticed it before we did and bumped her out of the nest.


We also admitted two baby Pine Siskins found as orphans. One of the youngsters, the first to arrive, is in fair health and eating well. The second youngster is not doing so well. It appears that he may have tussled with a creature capable of fitting him inside its mouth, most likely a domestic dog or cat. Both babies are fully feathered and are already beginning to experiment with flight.

Last year in late March, we admitted a baby Pine Siskin making it the earliest passerine chick and the first baby Pine Siskin in our 20 year history. This year, we have TWO Pine Siskin babies from two different nests! Both are from Marathon County, but definitely did not come from the same parents. The reason this is so strange is because in the Eastern half of North America, Pine Siskins nest in the North, farther North than humble little Wisconsin. They are frequent winter visitors of this area as adults, but have had very few recorded nesting events in Wisconsin. What is going on here?! At the risk of being controversial, I'll just say that climate change is a curious thing and it has consequences farther reaching than any of us can fathom.

Photo above: Baby Pine Siskin #1. As you can tell from the photo, Pine Siskins are fairly small birds, and as I have quite petite hands, this baby is tinier than you may think.

Photo above: Baby Pine Siskin #2. This little tyke is the less well of the two, but still is anxious for feeding time. You may be able to see that his wings look blurry and that is because, when hungry, young birds flutter their wings at a speed that would impress a hummingbird! They do this to tell their parents, "Hey! I'm hungry! Feed me first!", and it is terribly adorable to see an incubator full of fluttering babes.


Another early baby for this spring is a 6-week-old Common Raven. Admitting a baby this large so early in the season is a bit surprising, especially for a northern climate, but Common Ravens start early and produce very hardy young. This little guy (or gal) was found alone, and being so young, is still unskilled at flying. He has a misshapen beak and it is likely he was kicked out of the nest by his parents. It may sound harsh, but baby birds with birth defects are disposed of by their parents so more time and energy can be concentrated on the young with a better chance at survival. This also serves the species well because the individuals with lesser genetics are taken out of the gene pool right away ensuring healthier young in the next generation. Because of his deformity, he will not be released, but he will become an education bird and teach thousands of people about the wonderfulness of Ravens. He has a big job in front of him!


Photos above: The 6-week-old Common Raven spends a lot of time watching us, his human caretakers. Because he has a deformity, he is non-releasable, and it is OK for him to become habituated to humans being around him. In fact, we want him to be comfortable around people because he will be an education bird someday.


As promised, here's an update on the Eaglet. It has been one week since the last update and he has grown another pound! He's beginning to look more like a body builder than a baby bird! Right now, his body is spending a lot of time and energy developing muscles necessary for standing, and one day, flying.


Photos above: The eaglet is out for his weekly check-up. He has grown another pound and is beginning to really look like he could be the proud symbol of freedom Americans know and love. If you look closely you can see that he is crossing a milestone, adult feathers are beginning to peek out of his baby fuzz. His feet are also already gigantic! He has a long way to go, but he's getting there fast! I hope you all enjoy seeing him grow as much as we all do here at REGI.


Whew! That was quite the blog. Hopefully you were all able to get through it!

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
Wildlife Educator

Another baby! & Update on Eaglet

Yesterday afternoon we admitted our second baby of the season; a Great Horned Owlet! She was found near Portage, WI and rescued by Nicki Christianson, a mammal rehabilitator out of Wisconsin Rapids, and good friend of REGI. She was then transported to REGI by Judy and David Marshall, two of our most reliable (and may I say, sweet) transporters from the Rapids area. This tiny owlet has been helped by so many wonderful folks so far and we are grateful for each and every one of them!

Photo above: Rehabilitation technician, Alberta Halfmann, gets a weight on the tiny owlet. Judging by the weight, we believe this owlet is female, and she looks none too pleased to be handled by people! This is a good sign, it means that she has not been imprinted to humans!

Photo above: She is also very hesitant to take food from people, another really great sign! She knows that humans are not where food comes from. Excellent!

The following photos are a series of shots of her gulping down a delicious meal... enjoy!

Photo above: She looks quite pleased with herself after that undertaking! She may have looked uncomfortable swallowing that mouse, but believe it or not, baby Great Horned Owls go through this 13 to 18 times per day! That's right, this tiny owlet eats 13 to 18 mice per day! Wow!

Even at this young age you can see the feather tufts on her head that give her species its name and her large powerful talons that will one day catch her own food. Her "pantaloons" are also visible. Those voluminous feathers that resemble the loose-fitting, ruffled undergarments of days gone by, provide important insulation and also make the owls look larger (and cuddlier ;D) than they really are.

Great Horned Owls are among the earliest nesters in Wisconsin with breeding season being in January and February. This owlet is only a few weeks old and is much too young to be off on her own. At a month and a half, young owlets are referred to as "branchers" because they begin exploring the tree branches around their open stick nests, but still depend on their parents for meals. This owlet isn't even at the branching stage yet.

We are currently making the important decision as to the best way to care for this owlet. We can place her with a foster parent here as a single owlet or we can find a center that has a foster with another owlet so they could become surrogate siblings. We will keep you updated on this beautiful baby.


I know people are wondering about the eaglet admitted last week and I'm pleased to say he's doing very well! Today we needed to clean his mew and weigh him to mark his progress; one of the rare times we handle him.

Photo above: The eaglet is being weighed to make sure his growth is on the right track. He is able to sit quite tall and in a couple weeks he will be able to stand!

His weight is definitely growing at a healthy pace! Bald eaglets gain 1 pound every 4 to 5 days and that is exactly what he's done. When he was admitted 9 days ago he weighed 2 pounds and today he is nearly 5 pounds! In another few weeks he will weigh as much as an adult! I'm sure that parents are glad human children don't grow that fast!

Another sign of this eaglet growing up is his new look. Bald Eagles hatch as white fluffy things as you saw in the first blog about this eaglet. Within a couple weeks they trade in the white fuzz for black fuzz. Soon he will trade all of his fuzz for adult feathers. Watching him develop new feathers and learn to stand gives us all of the same feelings I'm sure parents feel when their child rolls over, crawls, or walks for the first time. We will keep you updated on the growth of this baby as well.


This is the time of year when our number of patients explodes. We get calls about injured and orphaned birds from literally all across the state. Because Northwoods Wildlife Center cannot currently care for birds due to a loss of their permits, we are getting patients from farther north than we did in years past. People that find sick or injured birds may not always be able or willing to transport the birds themselves, that's when our volunteer transport drivers become the heroes. Because our patients come from so far away, our need for volunteer transport drivers has increased. We desperately need volunteer drivers from all over Wisconsin and maninly South Central Wisconsin (Nekoosa, Wisconsin Rapids, and surrounding areas).

We would love to be able to pick up every single one of our patients ourselves, but that is simply not possible. We are a non-profit organization that receives NO state or federal funding. The cost to care for our patients is so high that adding the cost for transportation would mean we would have to close our doors to many birds in need. In addition, we have so many patients that we need to be here with them. If we were always dashing off to pick up others, they wouldn't receive the terrific care they do currently. Prompt transportation can mean the difference between life and death for our patients. If you are interested in potentially saving the lives of birds by becoming a volunteer avian transport driver, please give us a call (715) 623-2563. We need you, but more importantly, the birds need you for a second chance at life.

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
REGI Wildlife Educator

First Baby of the Season!

This Sunday we admitted our first baby patient of the season, and he's not your ordinary baby! He is a baby Bald Eagle with quite a story to tell. The tree his nest was in was destroyed by a storm south of Madison, WI, and he plummeted 30 feet to the ground, sustaining a head injury along the way. This young eagle isn't even 10 days old and already has had a tumultuous life.

A couple had been watching his family for quite some time; when they noticed he was in trouble they watched for his parents to return with no avail. He was taken to Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital in Lake Geneva, WI where he was cared for by Yvonne Wallace Blane. Many times, wildlife rehabilitation centers will work together in numerous ways to do what is best for the animals they are caring for. Fellow Mortals does not currently have a foster Bald Eagle to care for chicks, but we do here at REGI so Yvonne kept the best interest of the eaglet in mind and transferred him to us.

The eaglet is so fragile that even transportation is an issue. To drive the eaglet from Lake Geneva to here in Antigo would take upwards of 4 hours; much too long for the little tyke. Instead, a private airplane was arranged! Dave Piehler, a private pilot, donated his time, fuel, and aircraft to take the tiny eagle on his first-ever flight. What other eagle can say that he had his first flight at less than 10 days of age?!

Photo above: We were all waiting anxiously for Dave and the Eaglet to arrive. Finally on the horizon, we see a plane!

Photo above: As soon as the airplane landed at the Langlade County Airport in Antigo, WI, we all rushed to greet pilot, Dave and "co-pilot" eaglet. "The Eagle has landed!" shouted an airport attendant in a moment of humor and excitement.

Photo above: Smiles all around when we see them both safe and sound.

Normally we do not name the patients that are candidates for release, but we can always make an exception for someone who has helped the patient directly.
Dave suggested, "You should name this eagle Peeps."
Marge asked him, "Was he peeping the whole flight up?"
Dave said, "No... It's just good Easter candy!" .... A funny guy, that Dave Piehler, but appropriate for the upcoming holiday. ;)

Photo above: Because the eaglet is so young and fragile, he needed to be examined right there at the airport. His flight only lasted about an hour and a half, but he was hungry and needed to be fed as well. Marge prepares to bring him out of his carrier, when we find that he brought a friend...

Photo above: The eaglet was traveling with this teddy bear! At this age, the eaglet would normally be cuddled up next to his siblings and kept warm by his parents. Because he lost those things in the storm, this teddy bear provided some of that comfort he may have been missing.

Photo above: You can see everyone is all a twitter about this bundle of joy. From left to right, former intern and volunteer for the day, Katie Rhymer; wildlife educator, Karissa Mohr; Marge's grandchildren Maddie and Hunter; Marge Gibson; and Pilot, Dave Piehler welcome the baby to the Northwoods.

Photo above: A quick exam and a few moments of adoration. This is the first and only time he will see his human caretakers for an extended period so we must get in these moments while we can. When he arrives at REGI, he will no longer be handled or fed by humans, only his foster parents. We will step in only when necessary.

Photo above: Pilot, Dave Piehler, meeting his "co-pilot," Peeps, face-to-face for the first time.



Photos above: It might be difficult to imagine this darling ball of fluff as our National bird, adorning our currency, but soon he will trade in his fuzzy head for sleek adult feathers. He will grow to adult size within a couple months; however, it will take him a full 5 years to develop the iconic white head and tail we all recognize as America's symbol.

This is a very sensitive age for any bird. The first few days after hatching are critical and will determine how the rest of their lives will go. If young animals are fed or handled exclusively by humans for an extended period of time they can become imprinted. This means that they associate humans with food. It doesn't seem like such a big deal when they are young, but if an imprinted animal were to be released back into the wild, they would be confused about who they are and could put themselves and humans in harm's way by seeking us out for food, help, and even mates. We could never release an imprinted bird and they would need to be placed in an education facility.

To avoid imprinting we are introducing him to foster parents. This is a tricky maneuver that must be done delicately. We have created a personalized crate and have provided him with a mirror so he can see "other" eaglets sitting with him. We have also introduced him into a foster parent's enclosure. This way the eaglet is protected inside his crate but he can see the adult eagle.

He will soon be introduced to an open nest with his foster parents. A resident Bald Eagle has been laying unfertilized eggs and we will place him in the nest in hopes that the foster mother assumes her egg has hatched and will care for him as if he is her own. Fostering birds always presents a risk that the parents will reject, or in a worst-case scenario, kill the baby. REGI has had many successes with fostering raptors in the past and we are hopeful.

There is the possibility of finding a nest of wild Bald Eagles to place him into, but this also has to be done delicately. The eaglets in the nest have to be the same age as the eaglet being placed into the nest and the new eaglet must not be a burden to an already full nest. We are working with biologist to find the perfect nest, but because of the horrible weather we have been experiencing lately, finding a wild nest that can support an additional eaglet seems unlikely a this point.

Photo above: The eaglet is settling into his special crate looking at his "sibling" in the mirror. If you look closely, you can see a mouse tail peeking out of his mouth from his most recent meal and his bulging crop full of yummy mouse meat. (Photo credit: Marge Gibson)

This photo was taken two days after all of the other photos and you can see how much he has grown in that short time. Although still unable to stand, he is growing stronger every day and is able to sit much more upright today. I am constantly amazed by how quickly and robustly young birds can grow. Because they're growing so fast, young birds eat a lot. At this age, this eaglet can eat the equivalent of 20 to 25 mice per day! At about 50 cents to a dollar per mouse, feeding growing raptors is a VERY expensive endeavor. Young raptors also benefit from feeding on chipmunks, rats, squirrels, etc. If you have a problem with rodent pests at your home, please think of us. If you humanely collect them WITHOUT POISON, and store them in the freezer, we can use them to keep our young raptors alive.

If you would like to donate food items please call (715) 623-2563. If you would like to provide a monetary donation follow this link and click on the "donate" button.

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
REGI Wildlife Educator