September 1, 2010
Usually this time of year we have had all of the young raptors fostered out to other nest or at the hack site in Benton City. With the cold spring and slow start to summer, I feel that the breeding season went a little later than normal. We received a two and a half week old baby barn owl that someone found in an apple bin that was taken to the Yakima Humane Society. The call was for a baby vulture. But once she told me that it came out of an apple bin, I knew that it was a barn owl. Barn Owl are cavity nesters and will nest in man made nest boxes, haystacks, wooden apple bins and crack and crevices of building, trees, etc. Unfortunately the baby had to be euthanized due to a broken wing that had festered with a large gaping hole in the wing and leg that was crawling with maggots.
We currently have four Swainson's Hawks, two immature Red-tailed Hawks, one Turkey Vulture, one Norther Harrier, one Great Horned Owl, one immature Golden Eagle and one Northern Harrier here at the center that are being cared for.
Two of the Swainson and one Red-tailed hawk will be release this coming weekend.
The Raptor House had a busy year. We had many babies come in, and about the equal number of major injuries. One thing I would like to remind people about, are some of those raptors that will pick up things to decorate their nest as nesting materials. We received two birds that suffered injuries from this very thing. The first to come in was a Swainson's chick about 3/4 of the way grown, it had hop twine, the twine is put up for the vine to grow up to the wire on. Apparently one or both of the parent birds felt this made suitable nesting material, packing it into the nest. The young female chick's leg became entangled in it, cutting through her skin, muscle and tendons to the bone in two place on her leg. Resulting in the leg breaking. She has healed from her damages. And can now be seen flying the entire length of the flight pen. The other bird, myself, Justin Platt and his brother -in-law had to cut out of a tree in the lower valley. She unfortunately did not make it. We suspect West Nile Virus was the possible issue. She was extremely dehydrated, refused to eat on her own and when tubed for fluid and a slurry of food, she would vomit immediately. Just another sign of West Nile Virus. So if you are working outside, make sure you use some kind of repellent to protect yourself.
The center has two more last Saturdays open to the public before the end of the season. More information to come about the fundraiser we will be at for the Raptor House in Seattle once I have more details.