Herky the Bald Eagle Update!! Poisoned Red-tailed Hawk admitted, Red-eyed Vireos Admitted with Migration Exhaustion, Trumpeter Swan cygnet update.

 We love great stories here at REGI.  Improbable success stories, are all the sweeter.  We are honored to live the recovery stories along with our patients. The story of Herky the Bald Eagle from Hayward, WI began on September 4, 2011.  It has been only twenty days, but what a difference that time has made for Herky the Bald Eagle.  The story of her rescue and link to the video of the actual rescue can be found in the September 7, 2011 blog .  If you have not seen it, I urge you to watch at the link provided below.   http://www.2dorks.com/Eagle.html   Her story continues below.




Herky on the scale this morning.  Look at that confident eagle face!

  "Herky" the Bald Eagle rescued near Hayward, WI by the Bill Obenauf family, of Davenport, Iowa is doing great.  She has gained weight by leaps and bounds and is starting to fly again.  Herky weighed in this morning at 7.094 lbs which is a gain of 3 lbs in the twenty days since she was admitted.

 


A very tired and sick Herky looked a lot different on twenty days ago when she was admitted to the Raptor Education Group, Inc. (REGI) clinic.  (photo taken 9-4-11)

Herky fans in Iowa are all abuzz about this magnificent young eagle and her story.  So, let me tell you about her. When I last updated Herky was still in critical condition.  She had gained a few ounces however we were not yet celebrating.  When any animals weigh sinks to half what is normal for them...the situation is dire. To add to the starvation issue Herky had a serious leg injury caused by cord wrapped tightly around her leg.  Frankly, it was a miracle she had circulation in the foot when she was found.  Our job was to make sure that good luck continued for her leg as well as navigate her through the turbulent waters of starvation and the associated fungal problems that affect birds when they are severely compromised.  

The cord from the snare was wrapped tightly around the eagles leg.  It did serious damage to the surrounding tissue.  In this photo the unhealthy tissue was debrided to allow the leg to heal from the inside out.

We will never know for sure how her story goes before Herky came into captivity on September 4.  Our patients cannot tell us their story. We have to piece it together as best we can.  It is possible  Herky was likely a healthy young eagle before she somehow came upon the snare someone left in the woods. The cord became tangled around her leg.  Unable to get the cord off, it twisted tighter until it embedded into the skin.  The cord may have been around the leg for weeks before she was found.  Encumbered as she was with the snare, and increasingly swollen and painful leg, Herky was unable to find food. A domino effect of disaster had begun.

Herky today with her "foster dad".  Dad is in front of her protecting her from my intrusion. The photo is poor quality from our monitor.

Today Herky, aka Herky Lerky, aka the Herkster is enjoying life with 3 foster siblings and 2 adult eagles, one our foster dad,  in a 40' long flight.  It is a smallish flight for an eagle, but just the right size as they recover from injuries and have limited activity again.  Our foster father eagle is in the flight as well with the two youngest Bald Eagles chicks. Herky is the terror of her flight room!  She is bossy and LOUD. She screams at everyone else during feeding time as it to say, "step away from the food" or else. In general Herky is "feeling her oats". We sometimes see this behavior in eaglets when they have been through a traumatic situation.  It seems they are so pleased to have survived, they take life to an entirely new level. 

You can be when she leaves here for her second chance in the wild, she will be living life to the fullest.



Another monitor photos...but that is Herky in the middle on the highest perch (28 ft high).  She is trying to "remove" a foster sibling from the perch with a one two punch with her wings. An adult female stands to the right.

In short, Herky is doing superbly and progressing quickly now. We are very encouraged by her progress and weight gain.  She does not ignore feeding time that is for sure.  Thank you everyone for keeping her in your thoughts. I wish every young eagle in trouble had such great friends.

Two of the five young Eastern Bluebirds just before they were released last week. They are still in the area and continue to eat the insects put out for them as they integrate into the wild flock that is currently in our area.

Two Red-eyed Vireos are recovering at REGI.  We often receive neo-tropicals such as these beautiful and delicate birds during their migration especially when our temperatures plunge and the insects that they eat are in short supply. 

Just admitted an hour ago a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk from the Stevens Point area. He is suffering the effects of an organo-phosphate toxin.

We continue to be very busy at REGI we are admitting several birds a day including every species imaginable from Trumpeter Swans to Ravens and Red-tailed Hawks thru Bald Eagles.  We currently have about 150 patients. We have done many releases during the past two weeks including 5 Eastern Bluebirds and 9 American Kestrels. 



Katie as she brings the cygnet Trumpeter Swan, admitted from Minnesota, in for the night. Our nights are getting mighty cold in the northwoods and this late baby is still in down and unable to stay warm himself during our frigid nights.

We have so much more to talk about. I wish we could share each patient and all of our days with our incredible patients. Stay tuned... Each day is a new adventure.

Have a great evening everyone.

Marge Gibson









Herky Update! Bald Eagles x2 admitted, Osprey, Lesser Yellowlegs, Northern Flicker...

Herky the young Bald Eagle from Hayward, WI that arrived on Sunday with her leg wrapped in string from a snare is improving!  She has quite a following from folks in both WI and Iowa! It is great to see people involved with this amazing little lady.



Herky the Bald Eagle from Hayward gets a check-up.  Open wide Herky!!

                                                     Herky with her eyes wide open:)  Yea!!

Herky remains in critical condition but has begun to gain a few ounces.  Starving birds actually continue to lose weight after admission even with supplemental feeding.  Their body is in a negative balance and it takes a bit for that to balance out.  It is a scary thing to see the scale drop but joyful when it starts to move in the other direction.  Herky is being cooperative and seems comfortable with her situation.  She is still receiving antibiotics and an anitfungal drug to prevent aspergillosis which can occur in a bird as compromised as Herky. She is definitely happy about getting food even when it means she is getting it through a tube.  We do not have to restrain her when feeding time comes!  She has begun to make some soft calls which is another step in the right direction.

Herky is aware of the world around her which is different than when she was admitted less than a week ago.  We admitted 2 other Bald Eagles this week and she is aware that they are in enclosures next to her and is interested particularly in the adult.  

This beautiful Bald Eagle from Gilman, WI was poisoned.

 







We admitted an adult Bald Eagle yesterday from the Gilman, WI area.  He had ingested poison, likely an organo-phosphate. He is still convulsing from the neuro toxic affects.  Before anyone can ask "why"...I will just say it is illegal and should never happen but it does and more often than you imagine.  I will be up all night with this eagle.  He is receiving shots of atropine to counter the affects of the poison on his brain and nervous system about once an hour.  Keep us in your thoughts.  I find myself wishing everyone could be with me as they watch the horrors of what this toxin does to an eagle. If people knew they would be more careful and think things through before putting out bait for wolves and coyotes.  At least I hope they would be.



Exhausted from yet another convulsion the adult Bald Eagle from Gilman rests after being given atropine.



An immature Bald Eagle was hit by a car.
Immature Bald Eagles are so beautiful.  Their plumage is changing from mostly brown to a mottled white and brown.  Our new patient has a wing fracture, but if all goes as expected we are looking for a early winter release.

The Lesser Yellowlegs admitted last week... is STANDING!

Great news on the Lesser yellowlegs admitted after having been hit by a car last week during migration.  He suffered a back injury and was unable to stand until YESTERDAY! This is means he is going to be able to continue on his way south...maybe with a little help from a Wausau company that flies REGI patients south when needed to assist their migration or catch them up to their flock. He still has some conditioning to get him into shape again but his future looks rosy.  He will be heading to South America so like any athlete conditioning is important.

This Northern Flicker was hit by a car yesterday. Sorry about the poor photo,but I take only one photo of patients when they first come in to keep stress to a minimum.  He is already making progress and eating well.

I will get a photo of the osprey today to post soon.  We will be releasing 5 Eastern Bluebirds and several Amercian Robins today!! It has been yet another busy week here at REGI. 

We are havng some issues with the blog today. The spacing is odd and seems unfixable at this time. Please forgive the inconsistancy. We will get it fixed as soon as the program will allow it. :)

Have a great day everyone... enjoy the wildlife around you.

Exhausted in Antigo.

Marge Gibson

Busy Labor Day Weekend, Bald Eagle Ensnared Near Hayward, Hummingbirds, Nighthawk and Many More

Don and Marge Gibson examine the young bald eagle when she was admitted on Sunday.

This beautiful young Bald Eagle would have died this weekend, if it were not for a family of everyday heros from Iowa that stepped up to the plate to rescue and help transport her to REGI.   Our hats off to the Bill Obenauf family for their tenacity to get her help. It turns out, Bill is a well known radio personality on 97X in the Quad cities.  He gives a terrific description of the rescue and how they came to find the bird in the link provided.  http://www.2dorks.com/Eagle.html   I urge you to read  it as it is well done and has many photos of the rescue. Their response is testimony to what kindness and generosity can accomplish.  In the remote areas of our state we are blessed with plentiful and a huge diversity of wildlife and  few people.  That situation becomes challenging when wildlife becomes injured and needs help.  REGI is located over 3 hours from the site where this youngster was found on an ATV traill.  The snare, which had been there for weeks, had embedded into the eagles leg.  With her leg immobilized, the eagle was not able to capture fish or eat and therefore was slowly starving.

Weighing in at 4 lbs this young Bald Eagle was near death when she arrived at the REGI facility.  She should have weighed about 10 lbs.

Embedded into the leg of a young Bald Eagle, the string was beginning to cut off circulation to the eagles foot.

The snare was a homemade version made from string and a stick. We are not sure what the target was for this snare, but we are pretty sure it was not a Bald Eagle.  Sadly, this type of thing happens far to often. We urge folks to realize that wildlife may accidentally encounter such things and die when they are unable to extricate themselves.  In the great northwoods of WI, that animal may well be an threatened or endangered species.

Tired but warm, alive and happy to have food in her crop, this young eagle now has a future.

The good news is, while she is still in critical condition, the brave young eagle is doing well. She is still on heat and being tube fed liquid food several times a day.  Due to the level of starvation she suffered, she is unable to digest the fish/meat that would be her natural diet.  She has a long road to recovery ahead of her but we are cautiously optimistic for her future. 

Check for updates often as she progresses and regains her health.

The weekend was crazy busy with many new patients being admitted.  Holidays are always busy as that is when families are together and outdoors and encounter wildlife with injures just as the Obenauf family did.

Several Red-tailed hawks, like the one Marge is holding above and Broad-winged hawks were admitted over the weekend.  Broad-winged hawks are beginning their southward bound migration and we can expect many more to come in the next several weeks.  Broad-winged hawks fly all the was through Mexico, Central America, and can go as far as Argentina before they rest for the remainder of the winter. In spring they will head up north again to breed and raise their youngsters.

This beautiful female Nighthawk made contact with a car and broke her wing as she was swooping through the night air hunting insects. Nighthawks eat only insects and are hugely beneficial to humans.

We hope for a full recovery for the nighthawk, but she will miss migration. She will either stay with us for the winter or be transported to the far south to catch up with others of her species. Central America or the Caribbean will be her final destination for the winter.

This Belted Kingfisher is a handsome and spirited bird.  She broke her wing but is rapidly improving.

We raised 7 young Kingfishers this year at REGI. They were released  2 weeks ago. We are told they are happily fishing and squabbling with each other, as siblings of all species seem to do, near their private land release site.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are delicate in stature but strong in character. These two were admitted with wing fractures and are doing well.

We love sharing our patients and their stories with you. We have lots more to tell you including several popular patients that have recently been released to the wild. 

As for now, our patients need attention so that will have to wait for another day.  Thank you everyone for caring about wildlife and supporting our efforts with native wildlife.   REGI receives no state or federal funds even though all of our patients are state and Federally protected species.  It is only through your help that non-profits such as Raptor Education Group, Inc  (REGI) can continue our important work.

Have a great evening,

Marge Gibson

Another Patient Update

Luckily things are gradually beginning to slow down around here, so I am able to introduce you to just a tiny handful of our current patients.

Photo above: This gorgeous Yellow-throated Vireo was admitted, unable to fly because of a collision with a window. Yellow-throated Vireos are the brightest of the Vireos, and it is exciting to see such a beautiful bird, but unfortunate it had to be under these circumstances.

Photo above: This young Broad-winged Hawk was hit by a car and is unable to fly. He is a little underweight, and his wings have been taped to allow them to heal properly.

Photo above: This Red-tailed Hawk was found in Stevens Point, WI unable to fly due to starvation. Upon examination it was discovered that he is less than half the weight he should be. He is being tube fed several times per day to help improve his weight, and hopefully he'll continue to fight.

Photo above: This young male American Kestrel was found unable to fly, was very thin, and acting abnormally. Since he has been here, he is stronger, eating with a bit of encouragement, and acting more the way a kestrel should act.

Photo above: This Bald Eagle was hit by a truck and has a broken left wing. A collision with a vehicle can do a number on the internal organs of any creature, and it appears that his injuries have taken a lot out of him. With more rest, we hope he can recover from his internal injuries.

Photo above: This Osprey is another victim of a vehicle collision. His wings have been taped to help them heal and he requires a lot of encouragement to get him to eat. He is standing which is a good sign, and we hope for continued improvement.

Photo above: This is not a current patient, but former patient I'd like to update you on. Remember the teeny baby Turkey Vulture from way back in June? Well here he is, all grown up, and back in the wild! We have a number of wild Turkey Vultures that live on and near the REGI property, so this youngster was released right here. We can tell him apart from the adults because he still has his juvenile black head and a few downy feathers around his neck. Now and then he'll excite us all by flying above with the adult vultures. It's great to see him enjoying life!

As always, we'll do our best to keep you updated.

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
Wildlife Educator

"Wings Over Wausau" was a hit!

Hello everyone!
Thank you to everyone who made Wings Over Wausau (WOW) a success this past Saturday! I have a few photos from the event that I think you will all really enjoy!

Photo above: First of all, I have to introduce you all to the wonderful, Megan Ackley, pictured here with Great Horned Owl, Fonzi. She was the main coordinator and brains behind the WOW event, and she did a wonderful job! She and her entire family came out for the event and donated their time. Thank you for everything, Megan and family, and we can't wait to do it with you all again next year.

Photo above: Upon arrival, our WOW guests were greeted by Chris, a volunteer, and Alberta Halfmann, one of our rehabilitators. They were able to get a close-up look at real bird nests and eggs, and learned what to look for if you find a baby bird.

Photo above: Douglas, the son of Molly, our Director of Education, lead children (and some adults) in a bird habitat matching game. Other games were being lead by volunteers April and Lelani, nieces of Alberta.

Photo above: The first stop with live birds was the Owl station. Here people were able to meet nearly every species of owl found in Wisconsin. We had an Eastern Screech owl, a Saw-whet Owl, a Long-eared Owl, a Great-horned Owl, a Barred Owl, and a Barn Owl who each took turns meeting everyone all day. Pictured above are Lenora, a volunteer holding Saw-whet Owl, Sally, and Molly, our Director of Education, holding Great-horned Owl, Fonzi.

Photo above: Stacie, one of our extraordinary volunteers, gives some visitors a close-up look at owl talons with help from Barn Owl, Rhomey.

Photo above: Kerry, another of our super volunteers, and Long-eared Owl, Oscar have fun greeting everyone on their way in.

Photo above: The second stop was the Turkey Vulture station where people learned how amazing vultures really are. Katie Farvour, our other rehabilitator, and Turkey Vulture, Fran, convinced people that bald is beautiful. ;)

Photo above: At the third station, people were able to meet Falcons face-to-face. Brigid, a volunteer, introduces people to American Kestrel, Mo, and Katherine, an intern, introduces people to Peregrine Falcon, Ishmael.

Photo above: The fourth station was all about hawks. Here, people were able to meet a Broad-winged Hawk, a Harris's Hawk, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk throughout the day. Katie, a volunteer and former intern, taught everyone about Broad-winged Hawks with help from Aries.

Photo above: Kyle, an intern, introduced people to Harris's Hawk, Gypsy, and taught them about her amazing adaptations for desert life.


Aside from the amazing live birds we brought for people to meet, we had yummy food for people to enjoy, wonderful vendors for people to visit, and a silent auction to participate in. Thank you to all who donated items for the silent auction, and to all who participated in the bidding!

Photo above: We had many wonderful donations for the silent auction, and this basket was among my favorites because of the adorable owl charms!

Photos above: Lots of people put in very generous bids throughout the event. Thank you!

Photo above: Even Red-tailed Hawk, Julie wanted to visit our vendors. She seemed to be very impressed with the beautiful jewelry at the Lia Sofia booth, as was Marge Gibson, REGI's Executive Director.

Photo above: One of our other fundraisers for the day were these beautiful WOW shirts designed by the wonderful Mr. Hass. Thank you, they're terrific!

The setting this year was very beautiful, and we very pleased to be in the Grand Theater's Great Hall! We had a great turn-out this year, and we are already looking forward to next year!



We must say thank you again to all of our wonderful volunteers and sponsors who helped make the day possible, and to all of the visitors that came to support us and make donations. With your help, we were able to make WOW a success, and we are all looking forward to doing it again next year!

If you missed the event or would still like to purchase your very own beautiful WOW t-shirt, let us know! You can call us at (715) 623-2563 or email me at Karissa.REGI@gmail.com. They are a donation of $10 and we will send them to you in the mail. If you attend one of our public tours being held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am or 1pm until August 30th (PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED), you can purchase one at our facility for only $8! We are out of size Large, but still have some in Youth Medium, and Adult Small, Medium, and Extra Large.

Thanks everyone!

Karissa Mohr
Wildlife Educator

An Invitation and an Update!

I am truly sorry that it has been so long since we have had time to blog, but REGI has been a whirlwind that past month. We currently have close to 300 patients in care! And 34 of those birds are Bald Eagles. Whew. It is exhausting to think about. With all of these patients comes a great need for food! If you like to fish we could use your assistance in feeding our patients!

We are also busy preparing for our 2nd annual Wings Over Wausau fundraiser at the Grand Theater this Saturday, August 13. Maybe some of you attended last year. We are expecting this one to be even better! But need your help to make it happen. We can use volunteers and, of course, we need attendees!
If you are having a hard time reading the poster above you can find out more detailed information on our events page at the REGI website.

Our interns have already begun to wrap up their summers and Katherine is the only one remaining. We could use some helping hands around here, so if you have any free time we would love to help you make use of it!
You can call Molly or Karissa at:
(715)623-2563
or email at:
MollyM.REGI@gmail.com
Karissa.REGI@gmail.comPhoto above: (Left to right) volunteer Stacie Wild, intern Libby Pearson and intern Katherine Tesch release a Mallard that was admitted as an orphaned patient earlier this summer.

Can you believe that it is already time to release some of the orphans that we have spent the summer caring for? Now, it is certainly not time to release all of them. As a matter of fact we are still admitting orphans, and some of them just take a much longer time to mature enough to be released. Let me update you on just a few of the birds that you met in blogs earlier this summer and introduce you to a couple of our new patients.Do you recognize this young Ruffed Grouse (photo above) from our June 22, 2011 blog? He sure has come a long way in the last month and a half. Here he is pictured perching on a branch in a natural enclosure, snacking on some honeysuckle fruits, which he would be likely to find in the wild.
It may be surprising to see the size of this young Sandhill Crane colt (photos above). Just one month ago he was pictured taking a walk with intern Katherine Tesch. Now he has grown many times in size and has begun to get his grey adult plumage. This little crane is entering his adolescent stage already. He spends more time running and stretching his wings and, like many adolescents, he is beginning to assert his independence. When a colt is just a young thing it will follow any tall being with 2 legs, as they get older they explore more and want to go their own way.
Another bird from our June 22 blog is the Trumpeter Swan cygnet. He is well on his way to becoming one of the largest flying birds in North America. Trumpeter Swans can reach 27 lbs. in adulthood and have a wingspan up to 6.5 ft.! Juvenile Trumpeters have grey plumage, which will slowly turn to the beautiful white you may recognize them by.
One of our newest patients has a sad story to tell. This Common Loon chick (above) sustained a serious leg injury over the weekend when he had a collision with a jet ski. Please remember that the lakes that we all love to recreate on have wildlife who make their homes there. The beautiful and majestic loon is part of what makes the Northwoods such a special place to be. They are very sensitive to our actions. This is the second young loon that we have seen this summer who has been injured by jet skiers. Be aware of the wildlife around you and make your children aware of it as well. If you see a loon out on the lake give it a large buffer zone.
The last patients I would like to introduce you to today are these orphaned Red-bellied Woodpeckers (above). Red-bellied Woodpeckers get their names from the pinkish red plumage on their bellies, but what often stands out is the bright red coloration on their napes, in females, and foreheads and napes, in males. These juveniles have not acquired the bright red feathers yet, but it won't be long!

We hope you are all having a great summer!
Molly McKay
Director of Education