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Flights, Kites and Questions answered

9/24/2014

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Need to start off  answering a question that has been posed several times in the past months. Folks call asking " When I call the Ga. DNR call center why does the person tell me to put the wildlife I found back in the woods and let nature take it's course"? So many rehabbers have dropped out that the call sheet has huge gaps in the listing. Rehabbers are listed by county, Ga. has 149 counties, and it is difficult for the call center to connect you with the nearest rehabber. Sometimes they will give a rehabber number only to have you call back and say these folks no longer rehab. Then the call center is faced with you being in possession of wildlife. Since it is illegal for you to keep it they simply tell you to return it to the woods and let nature take it's course. Ga. DNR is spread thin and tasked with many responsibilities, I have the greatest respect for them.

You can avoid calling the call center by going to the Ga. DNR website and downloading the current list of licensed rehabbers and their contact info. Look under "find a wildlife rehabilitator".

The Mississippi Kites are on their own. On Tuesday about 12:30 I started setup for release and just before 1:00 opened the doors. It would have been a waste of time to attempt to photograph them. I was stunned by speed and fluidity of motion that transpired. As if a special signal was issued personally to each one they followed the mature Kite as he headed out the door. The 2nd year Kite was followed by the 2 first year kites. All 4 were dots in the sky headed due south before you could focus a camera. This isn't scientific sounding but it's true. Once the door was open this whole event was over before you could say "lickedty- split". They are free in clear skies headed for the Gulf of Mexico.

Andrea's broadwing got released yesterday afternoon. We did a soft release so he is around. Need to keep an eye on him and his hunting skills. This one and a older sibling were picked up by Andrea as they huddled together on the side of a highway. She saw the oldest one get hit by a car. In spite on our best efforts he had to be EU. So this little guy is on his own.    

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Tried to get something in here for size contrast but he would have none of it. He is smaller than a crow. He is actually slightly taller than a soft drink can. They are not loud noisy raptors and are often overlooked. For years Broadwing Hawks were thought to be only migrants in the fall and summer. We now know they are nesting here. 

Still waiting to set free the Great Horned owls, those children are so slow. Hoping very soon they can be hootin' in the wild for Halloween.

Meantime we are gearing up for the migration. Lots of northern raptors headed this way. Intakes always increase this time of year.

The whiteheaded Redtail on Hwy 18 has not been seen for a while. Think she may have moved on south.

This time of year is great to visit with friends and neighbors. A good cup of coffee and quiet conversation might lead to some interesting sightings. Might even find out you got Broadwings! Listen quietly in the evenings for the soft whinnying sound of screech, beautiful music.





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Mississippi Kites are almost ready!

9/19/2014

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The Mkites are almost ready. There is one slow child who seems to like being hand fed, but all the others are ready. These small raptors are very social and stay in groups so Jr. has to start feeding himself so they can all go together.

I was able to catch them in one area with the camera and actually get some pictures. The following pictures are from 2 days ago. Keep in mind their size, they are bigger than doves but smaller than crows.

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This is Jr. the 1st year Mkite. Notice his very light coloration. Also notice between his eyes and beak there dark depressions, or pits. This serves Mkites the same was the mylar stripe serves falcons by cutting down on reflections.  
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This picture has a very mature male on the left and a second year Mkite on the right. The mature Kite has clear red eyes. Notice the drastic color change from the previous picture to the mature kite in this picture. This has caused problems in folks properly identifying juvenile Mkites. Notice the Mkite on the right you can see the pit in front of the eye.
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Same two again. Very good color comparison. The mature Mkite is holding his wing at an odd angle because of a pellet rifle wound that broke the bone. He has healed and is fully flighted.




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Here is one more of Jr.




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Here is the other juvenile, who does know how to self feed. He came up from Laurens Wildlife in Dublin with a fractured wing.

While these pictures aren't absolutely perfect they are a great close up of the new raptor in the neighborhood. I carried the camera in my pocket for 2 weeks trying to get some pictures. This series was the only success. Mkites are so flighty they will scatter if you look at them wrong, so I must have been looking at them just right. Hope you enjoy these and understand why I seemed so frustrated trying to verbally describe the coloration.

The goal is to get them out in the next 2-3 days while there are still big insects for them to eat.  

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Catch up!

9/16/2014

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Time to start getting caught up on all the happenings For those who follow the Bubba and Friends, Inc FB page some of this maybe a rerun.

The juvenile Great Horned Owls finally are completely feathered out and acting like they need to be somewhere else. There future is being planned.

Fortunately the Barn Owls did not get turned loose in July. I almost blew it! They were 3-4 weeks behind in development. Their level of aggression was consistent with older birds giving the impression they were about release age. They didn't get premature release because of weather issues. During the delay it was discovered that their hunting  skills were a 1 on a scale of 1-10(10 being excellent). They are now preparing to increase the Pike County Barnie Club by 3.

The baby vultures are all out and free!!

The Mkites are behind the curve this year. The two youngest have only now started to self feed. They are now using the older Mkites for role models and seem to be doing well with less and less assistance. Fortunately there are still a lot of grasshoppers and large insects around to stimulate them. A more detailed story will follow, with pictures. The goal is to get them out of here before the night temps get lower.

Have more questions coming in about different things. Want to get them organized so I present them to you in intelligent format.

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THE T SHIRTS!!!

The shirts are going into production. After a number of ups and downs we finally found  a maker who understands small non profs and will work with us. The t shirts will be black with the little owl face that adorns several pages of the website. The back of the shirt will have our name on it. The printer is also going to let us mix sizes on the order.

Adult Ts are $25.00  xxxl xxl xl l m sm

Childrens are $20.00

If your local we will deliver your Ts.

If we need to ship USPS is $6.00 for up to 4(4 will fit).

Send check with address and phone number. Attach note of how many and what sizes. Make sure phone number is current so we can call if we questions.
B&F,I    PO Box 103  Zebulon, Ga   30295  

We will then put it all together and get it to the printer Monday of next week. I know Amazon is easier but they got lot's money behind them. They don't have the face!!

Thanks for your attention, you can have it back now!











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