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Almost the Ides of March.....

3/14/2014

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We lost the juvenile Mississippi Kite. Found him dead in the morning after a day of fresh air and sunshine. Central Georgia since nest sites have been confirmed as far north as Fayette County. If you should see some M Kites and take a few minutes to watch I don't believe you will be disappointed.  

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This is a mature adult M Kite released by Laurens Wildlife in Dublin, Ga. He didn't come to us since he was an "in and out". This picture is courtesy of Vonda Morton at Laurens Wildlife. Notice the drastic change in  plumage from the juvenile to the adult. The eyes are a red color in the adults.

If you are interested in working with a wildlife rehabilitator or learning to be a wildlife rehabilitator contact a licensed rehabber and talk to them. There is a list on the Ga. DNR website. If they are not listed on that website but insist that they are a licensed rehabber ask to see their permits. All Rehabbers will have a permit or permits with Ga. Dept. of Natural Resources or US Fish and Wildlife Services letterheads and/or stamps on the permit.  Protect yourself from people who are going holding around seminars and stating their seminar/class is a prerequisite to obtaining a rehab permit. These people are charging money for these classes and are not licensed rehabilitators. Call Ga. Special Permits office if you have any questions and before you plunk down your money. This information is a free service to you from a licensed( federal and state) wildlife rehabilitator.  
Remember Caesar yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look........



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Update on last post....

3/11/2014

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Have received several inquiries about the Mississippi Kite. The information about life history and biology is accurate. Details are in the previous post along with picture of a very healthy male. Yes we are 99.9% sure someone had him in their possession for a very long time. Look at these photos- 
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This guy should have been allowed to leave with his kin last Sept. His baseline weight is 316 grams. The day of these pictures he weighed 170 grams. How do you replace weigh on a raptor that feeds mainly on insects like cicadas and grasshoppers???? for contrast here look at the previous post for a pictures of a very healthy male taken in the summer.

Heard great stuff about the big band dance Saturday evening. We were tied up with a couple intensive care cases but did get to hear a bit of the band when I went over about 10 pm to pick up our display.

Thanks and appreciate all the support.








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Lot's of Stuff and a local good time

3/5/2014

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Let me have your attention for a bit then I'll give it right back In the Pike County area this Saturday, March 8, 2014 a Big Band Swing Dance is being held at Life Springs Church. For singles it's $15.00 and 25.00 for a couple. Here the deal! The event runs from 7pm-10pm and food is included. From 7-7:30 dance instruction is available so you can "cut a rug" with the best of them. If you envision yourself in a double breasted suit with your best babe on your arm then don't miss it(even if you don't have a DB suit). It will be fun.

Do not know if Bubba and Friends will be able to make it as we have a number of intensive care cases underway. Actually won't know until the last minute but would be first in line if  we could.

Proceeds from this event go to support the Library and Pike County Friends of Animals.

Mississippi Kite

Yes we have a juvenile M Kite in House. Yes I know they are not even suppose to be in Georgia until April or May. He came from the Houston County area and is in rough shape. Since M Kites can't survive in the outside temps of Dec, Jan, Feb. someone had him. A small mammal rehabber in Perry recovered him in Jan. and only recently notified us. He should weigh between 12-14 ounces instead of the 5.32 ozs he currently weighs. He is alert and is sounding off with his "pip-pew" call.

Mississippi Kites are small raptors about the size of a crow. The juveniles are brown and white like most juvenile hawks. As an adult they turn  silver gray with black wings and red eyes.

Their diet is primarily insects, especially cicadas. They catch them while flying and eat them while flying. If you ever get a chance to watch them hunt a field it is amazing to see. About September they all start moving toward the Gulf of Mexico. As the days shorten and the insect populations start to diminish they began to migrate following the contour of the edge of the gulf coast until they arrive in Mexico.  The juveniles are group fed by the adults during the migration. Their "pip-pew "call is a hunger call.

There is still a lot that is not known about the M kites. In our area we know of nests in Fayette County, Spalding County, Lamar County, and Pike County. All the nests we not used this past year, don't know why.

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This the best picture we have a juvenile M Kite.This was one of our first successes back in 2006. Last time we saw him he was headed toward Panama City with 4 wild Kites. Unfortunately the boy we have now has  a way to go to come close to looking this good.

Volunteers

We are planning a volunteer training session if spring ever comes and the rains ever subside. Have had a number inquiries following the Buckshot TV news coverage.

We get all volunteers together so we can get on the same page. The training session does not qualify you to rehab raptors on your own. We discuss fed and state regs and the need for compliance. Then we cover policy and procedures, like personal safety, food safety etc. Lot's of discussion and developing a trust with each other to work around the raptors. 

This session is going to be limited to 10 and we already have 4 or 5 waiting.  If you are thinking about and want to commit please think about it. We are making a time commitment to you and would appreciate reciprocity. There is guy in south Ga. that charges "volunteers"  $40.00 to learn how to transport raptors. We are not part of that. Can't see nickel and diming folks who are going to be using their gas and their time to help put our wildlife back in the wild.

More to come as the weather clears or we have to start building Ark.



Donations

Neal you gave us a great idea! Glad you thought of it.

We cover a huge area of the state with a couple million people involved. If we can get a couple hundred people to donate $20.00 each at the first of the month every month we should be able to handle  the patients/ raptors. We could also save enough to do public programs again. It costs about $150.00 to do an education presentation. During the economic downturn we lost our sponsors. So we had to curtail the projects. I hate telling kids No because their is no money.

We are currently headed toward a food shortage because of the persistent cold temp. We have had to double up on food so the raptors can prevent cold injuries.  We are not out of food and don't want to run out. Past history calendar says we are now officially in baby season. We currently have one baby GHO and the other 13 are adults.

Think about and see if you can automatically do $20 a month or even $10. A couple hundred folks donating this way would be really helpful.

Neal, don't care what anybody else says about you , I think you have a good idea!

Before I give your attention back to you think about the items in this blog and see what you can do.

hope you have clear skies, warm thermals, and plenty of food for your youngun's. 


Hi Tatum !






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He's out!

2/8/2014

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Remember the Barbed wire owl? We were finally able to locate his home range and get him out! It is rare for us to be able to release an who was caught on a barbed wire fence. Usually there is so much tissue loss and exposed bone that euthanasia is the out come. So if we seem a little excited excuse us. His mate is more than likely trying to feed babies. "How do you know?" you ask. Because the first orphan GHO of the season is headed to us. Great Horned Nest in the winter time. During the recent visit by the Polar Vortex the GHO's were sitting on eggs. During the recent "snow/ice event" babies were hatching. On Thursday after the event we received 2 calls about seeing babies peeking over the edge of nests. The baby headed to us is from an egg laid  before Christmas.

Thanks to Kristin Drummond from Fox 24 news in Macon did a very nice presentation of Bubba and Friends on 2-5-14.  Thanks to the folks around Perry and Bonaire for the $65 in donations.

If the weather cooperates Buckshot will be leaving us shortly.

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Updates and more

1/18/2014

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This smiling bright eyed Great Horned Owl came in from Spalding Animal Control. A mature male, he was found hanging in a barbed wire fence. Fortunately for him he was caught on the bottom strand and was able to stand. When they are caught on the higher strands they struggle and fight until they tear all the feathers and flesh away. This runt male, is very small as GHOs go, has been healing well and is headed for a flight pen.
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Owls have very soft feathers that are easily snagged by the barbs on barbed wire. It is impossible to untangle the "mat" on this wire. The wire must be cut and the owl removed. When the owl is freed then the wire can be carefully removed. This guy was very fortunate and only lost a wad of secondary feathers. Most of the time we see large amounts of tissue loss and exposed bone that results in euthanasia.

Most owls are hunting hard now as the females are sitting on eggs. Some may already the members of the 2014 "baby" class hatched out.




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Buckshot's wing

Compare this picture to the previous post and you can see improvement. The tissue is nice and pink and the wound is closing with good granulation. He is using his wings and has flown from the ground to a 6 ft perch. After detailed discussion with input from Dr. Gardner and Katherine Dudek at Chat. Nature Center, we are not comfortable releasing him until this wound is closed. This is very high tension area and is critical to flight. Dr. Gardner made a very good analogy in the discussion. She said "this is like cutting your finger across the knuckle. Everytime you bend it the wound opens up."

The second picture is another view of the same.

  



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This is where we are. Thanks to those who have sent in monetary support. It is very much appreciated.

Thanks too to Becky Watts and pikecountytimes.com and Rachel McDaniel at the Journal Reporter for their excellent coverage of this case.



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 Bald Eagle day 3

12/28/2013

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On day 2 the wound on his wing was cleaned thoroughly and examined. It is very consistent with a gunshot but that can't be proved. The goal is to get him flying and out of here as quickly as possible. He has a mate and nesting season starts in January south of the Fall Line.
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Here are 2 pictures of the leading edge of the left wing. You can see a chunk is missing. The chunk is about an inch across and narrowly missed some important bones. The rookie eagle handler Dr. Gardner is holding him. Her hat is on his head to protect her face.
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Here's the good news. Our guy has managed to get himself on a 6 ft high perch using "ramp". The ramp tree is about 5inches in diameter and 12 ft long. The ramp is propped against the high perch to provide him assistance in attaining the perch. The key here is that he was able to use his wings to balance himself and go up.
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This morning he was jumping from perch to perch using his wings for balance. This activity continued for a few minutes, like he was checking to see if things still worked. This is a major step forward in his recovery. While I am excited to see this I know we have a ways to go.

I am very much aware that this flight pen is not adequate for his flight conditioning. He is in this smaller to contain his activity and prevent further damage. As his wound closes up and he begins to show more interest in flying he will be magically transported during the night to a very large flight. He won't believe his eyes!
 

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Taking in the view! or totally ignoring me.

He's dreaming of his mate and the work he has to do to make this years babies. Did you know that the male picks the nest site?

Don't forget all checks for donations for 2013 must be dated no later than Dec 31.

Thanks for your time.........

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December 27th, 2013

12/27/2013

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This mature bald eagle arrived on Dec 26. He was found on Christmas eve on the county line between Jenkins and Emmanuel counties. He was triaged at Laurens Wildlife and transferred here for rehabilitation. Initial reports indicated a gun shot wound to the wing but x-rays show no metal fragments in the wound. He has big chunk of tissue missing on his left wing and cannot fly. Our goal is to get this healed up and get him back out in the wild within the next 2weeks. His mate was in the area searching for him when he was picked up by the biologist.

Eagles mate for life and are very loyal to each other. In the wild they will begin building nest or refurbishing nest in January.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson for taking time out of their holiday season to drive thia guy all the way from Dublin to Zebulon.

Here at the end of the year please remember us for your tax exempt donations. You can donate on line or mail your checks to PO Box 103 Zebulon, Ga. 30295. All checks must be dated no later than Dec. 21 for tax credit in 2013.

Thanks for your attention.

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December 23rd, 2013

12/23/2013

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An Osprey for Christmas? Why not? It was rather surprising
to receive a call from Laurens Wildlife that an Osprey found on the Altamaha River needed rehab this time of year. So thanks to Tom and AJ this osprey did not have to wait. They zipped him right up here. This time of year most Ospreys have headed for Belize. Initial exam on this one  indicates a mild wing injury requiring antibiotic therapy. There is a very good photo at the top the page on our website.
Have received a few calls from concerned folks who couldn't locate a rehabber in their area. They stated they were told by DNR to put the animals back where they found them and let nature take it's course. We do not work for Ga. DNR we work with them. They make the rules. Rehabbers have been dropping out of the activity because the cost is overwhelming.  Raptors are the most expensive. Note the above mention of the osprey ? The Altamaha is about 3 hours from our location but there was no where else for him to go. This is your wildlife, this is your heritage, we have a chance to make a difference.
 Thanks to Ms. Bobbit of Macon, Joy Walker of Pike County, Mrs. Carol Paul of Macon, Paul and Lara Chew of North Carolina and the Phillips of Monroe County their donations.
We are currently trying to stock the freezers in preparation for orphan owl season. There are no food substitutes here, whole bodied mice only and these babies are winged garbage cans.
Hope every one has a Merry Christmas and the best new year ever. If you are sending donations for tax exemptions for 2013 they must be post marked no later than Dec. 31.
Will do more on the Osprey as we figure it out. Don't want  to stress him out with cameras right now.

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Owls are calling, have you heard them?

10/8/2013

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Have received a number of requests for owl pellets from schools and other programs. We are currently out of pellets. We were only able to get a few this year because of the rain. Most were dissolved by the time they were found. Probably won't have any more until next year. We give them away on a first come basis, please keep that in mind when you are planning programs.
All our native owls species, except the barn owl, have been talking up the evenings. If you are sitting quietly outside, right after twilight, you may be able to hear screech owls trilling and making their whinny calls. It's very soft and you need to be away from noise pollution ( hwy, radio, tv, etc) but they are talking and folks are hearing them.
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This is an eastern screech owl in the gray phase. They come in 2 colors, gray and red. For size contrast this is sitting on a finger. 2 of them do not equal a pound in weight.
Below is a red screech hiding in the corner. Both of these are males. Females will be slightly larger.
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Barred owls are very vocal and sound like they are carrying on conversations. One calls " who who who cooks for you" and the other answers " who who cooks for you all". Listen to the first Barred call and count the interval until the next call, 1thousand 1, 1 thousand 2, 1 thousand 3...... When they the first one calls count the interval and try your best Barred Owl call. With a little practice you will find them coming to investigate the "newcomer"
 At times the juveniles begin a call that sounds like  a howler monkey.  If you try to join in they will get quiet and vanish.
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Great Horned Owls make a loud who sound. They are often referred to as whoot owls. They will not answer you. If you are very still and listen you can hear an interesting range of  very resonating whoots from them. Right now they are doing most of their talking after 10 pm. 
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This time of year the owls are talking and if you take time you can get an earful. Their discussion is about getting together for nesting. Yep owls in the winter time.
If you should happen to hear a blood curdling scream rest assure the devil ain't after you but some hapless wanderer just stumbled onto a Barn Owl.!! It is unbelieveable hear such a hideous sound come from such a humble looking owl.
Take time to enjoy the sounds- spend time with each other ........... God bless and we'll see you next time.
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The last of the graduating class....

10/4/2013

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Found the last picture of the graduating class 2013. It was stuck in the wrong folder, image that. Stuff like that happens when I am on the computer with no adult supervision. Any way these 4  barred owls (strix varia) are the only Barred owls to go through complete rehab in the new flight pen. They were released around Sept. 1, 2013.
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"Ya'll look this way" There is always one in every bunch. These was taken on one of the few sunny days we had in the summer of 2013. Young can see the brown bars on the wings, which gives them the name Barred Owl, but you also see the gray fuzz of a juvenile. So this fall when you hear "who cooks for you" answered by "who cooks for you all" it could be one of these youngsters.
Speaking of fall and days getting shorter, have seen evidence of the migration already. Every year on hwy 18 east, near Elliot's store (McKinley Road) there are 3 American Kestrels that spend the winter. The Kestrel is the smallest Falcon in North America and is frequently mistaken for a dove because of their size. Kestrels sitting on a power line flick their tails rapidly from front to back to help maintain their balance. The first Kestrel has already arrived.  There are always 3 on this mile stretch of road every winter. Don't know where they come from but I do know that when the 3rd one arrives winter is close behind. This has been going on for about 10 years and every year it's 3.
Also with fall the owls have started getting very vocal early this year. Owls are not getting ready for Halloween, they could care less about bogey men, instead they are getting ready to mate. Since owls don't build nest they are scouting for cavities and, in the case of the Great Horned Owls, unoccupied Redtail Hawk nest ( that couple is going to be upset when they return and see the mess in their nest). So when the cold blustery days of January arrive female owls will be sitting on eggs. Their goal is to have the babies out before the return migration in spring.
Special thanks to the Clayton and Carol Paul fund for their grant to help us build the new flight pen. After 15 years of searching this was the first grant we found that was available for this type of project. Community Foundation of Central Georgia handled the paperwork. Thanks Julia, Alexis, and the rest of the folks at CFC in Macon.
Thanks to Susan Cropper and E. Rowson of New York City for their donations as we prepare for the fall migration.
Thanks to the Vinson family, the Gres  family and the Owens family for their support. All three families live in Ga. 
Thanks to Rachel McDaniel and Becky Watts for their expert journalistic coverage.
We don't have all the numbers yet because the year isn't over we don't know how many releases we have until the end of December when we compile the reports for the feds and the state.
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Thanks for your attention, you can have it back know.
Appreciate your interest in our American Heritage, people are coming from around the world to see our raptors.
God bless.............thank you.
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