Since the last blog I have engaged in a situation that some of you are familiar with, so I will briefly explain for the benefit of you folks who don't know. Toward the end of August my mother had an accident which resulted in a broken neck (c-2 vertebrae) and bleeding on the brain. Excellent medical care stopped the hemorrhage without surgery. A staph infection set up in her lungs requiring a tracheostomy in her throat and subsequent attached to a ventilator to manage her breathing. She has not spoken a word since September 6. The days have been split 50/50 between good days and bad. That has demanded my attention daily for over a month. I do appreciate the encouragement and prayers that you folks have offered. They help , they really do. Thank you.
-The 2 gray screech owls, seen in an earlier blog, have been released. They have been sighted a number of times in their new location.
-Spanky, the juvenile turkey vulture, has been released.
-3 juvenile Red Shoulder Hawks have been released.
-Mikey and his gang are headed for release. 3 Great Horned Owls at once. Whoa little rodents your nights are going to get wild.
There are others still in progress.
In the category of very unusual...........
This Redtail Hawk, a very big female, was under one of the plant tables enjoying a meal. For those of you who are familiar with the plant tables under the Magnolia tree you should recognize the location. I was about 3 feet away taking pictures. She was undetered by the camera while I was detered by her size.
For reference purposes the space between the black shelves is about 28 inches. 

This is a big ole' gal. Homey was not going to mess with her, especially when I realized her dinner was a mature Red Shoulder Hawk. The Red Tail Hawk was not one of our releases, nor was the Red Shoulder Hawk. She finally got tired of me with my camera and took of with the remains of her dinner in tow. This RT was born in 2010 as she has brown tail feathers with red ones coming in.
Our flight pens are a continual ongoing maintenance activity. Since pressure treated wood is toxic to raptors we have to use untreated wood. The untreated wwood is at the mercy of the elements; heat, cold and rain. Construction Consultants of Macon, Ga. have stepped in and designed new flight pens for Bubba and Friends. They have donated the blue prints and the design. THe new flight pen will incorporate an outer shell of the new pressure treated (non toxic) lumber with an inner frame of untreated lumber. Inner walls can be hinged like doors to allow expansion space when necessary. We have had approximately $3500 dollars worth of untreated lumber donated as well as telephone pole (from Central Ga. EMC) for the post. We are now trying to raise $2000.00 to purchase the non toxic pressure treated lumber. We want to get it in before winter sets in.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Deal,Mr. and Mrs. Paul, Mr. and Mrs. Nowell, and Mr. and Mrs. Benson for your donations, you have given us a start.
Have gotten some phone calls about problems that I refused to deal with! I rehab raptors I don't do skunks! Our little black and white friends seem to be on the increase around here. Why the calls are directed here is confusing to me. Homey ain't coming to get them. It's nothing personal against skunks but I have nowhere to release them and I don't care for the smell( I have received their blessings once already!).  
Have several emails about the turbine windmills, the renewable wind energy of the future, killing thousands of raptors including Bald and Golden eagles. After a little perusal of the web I found one very good write up at The New American website. The article is titled "Turbines killing birds,bats". It's a very interesting read. After years of the endangered species act and millions of taxpayer dollars spent to protect our native species they are being slaughtered by giant windmills that produce a very small amount of energy. I encourage you to go to The New American website and read the article. It's unreal. 
Will be back again with more detailed update. Need to get some more pictures to post.
Oh yea Meatloaf seems to be over his physical issues. I am not sure if he was"sick", those of you who know Meatloaf understand. Anyway he is about his usual self again.
Later...

The Kid's Nature Camp Exploration is over! What a great time we had there doing 2 days worth of programs, one about raptors and the second about reptiles. The kids were incredible! Ms. Barbara, Ms. Karen, and company had it organized and things were happening. All the kids were documenting activities with photographs and journals. After the presentation we were gifted with several very nice photos of Genius and Elmo.
The Kid's Nature Camp Exploration is the second week of June at the UGA Experiment Station in Griffin. If you watch Walter Reeves gardening programs on PBS you have seen this spectacular site, as he has filmed several episodes here. Mark your calendars so you can get your kids in this program. Contact barbaraharris69@gmail.com.
New York Times! Yes we were mentioned in the New York Times. There is a pair of Red Tail Hawks who nested on the window ledge of a building on the campus of New York State University. The New York Times ran a live Hawk Cam on the Redtails named Bobby and Violet. During the whole laying eggs and brooding  event watchers began to notice Violets right leg swelling. Some bird bander placed a USFWS numbered band on her right leg and the foot was swelling below the band. It was obvious that the band was causing a problem which was exacerbated by her position when she was sitting on the eggs with her legs under her. This writer proposed a very simple plan, based on experience, for resolving the disability. It was mentioned in the Times. Anyway a committee, in New York, got involved and the band is still on her. In spite of her swollen foot Violet was very diligent in the care and feeding of her one chick, named Pip. Pip has now fledged and he may well migrate through Georgia as he heads south. Meanwhile Violet still has that band on her leg.  
WETLANDS FESTIVAL is set
Mark your calendars for October 1, 2011 for the Wetlands Festival at the Newman Wetlands in Clayton County(not Clayton, Ga). I believe it has a Hampton Georgia address. Carole and her crew have continued to make this event better every year. No joke folks the admission is free.  They even have food and drink at very reasonable prices.You and your gang can enjoy a wonderful outdoor experience and meet a lot of great people. Buy one of the T shirts(every year is different and the work is grade A) and have all the presenters autograph it!! Homeschoolers should flock to this. You can cover a lot of science and nature topics in one place.
Updates:

Mikey is almost grown. He still has some baby fuzz on his head.
The "inflated" look is part of his defensive behavior. There is a lot of beak snapping and blowing going on her too.
Mikey is improving  his skills. He is self feeding and doesn't hesitate when rats magically appear in the flight pen.

Remember the baby screech owls from an earlier blog? Here's one of them with Elmo. It is difficult for the two of them to sit still for a picture. The other one is behind the camera.
Both are becoming proficient at self feeding and recognize 4 different screech owl foods.
Their favorite twilight activity is playing in the water pan.
Elmo is the red owl on the left. 

Bucky, the baby black vulture and Spanky, the baby Turkey vulture, are growing up.
Bucky has a little bit of yellow down left while Bucky still has alot of white down on his back, head, and chest.
Both are eating well and displaying appropriate species behaviors. Bucky is posturing and Spanky is hiding, Turkey Vultures are very shy.

Two more Redtails have been moved to a flight pen.
The one on the left is Pretty Thing. This is a beautiful RT born this year. Arriving with a horrble case of frounce it had open canker sores in the mouth and throat. It appears well on the road to recovery after intensive treatment.
The RT on the right is one of the largest most power RT's we have seen. She is called the "Black Queen"(like the Queen of Spades in the game of spades). She is about a year old, notice her tail has the brown striped juvenile feathers with 2 adult red feathers just coming in.
She had a fractured wrist on the right wing.  More on these two later.

RELEASED! This Red Tail Hawk was kind enough to hesitate in a tree long enough to have his picture made.
He was a probable concussion with severe frounce and capillary infestation. He responded well to all treatments and was released in time to celebrate the 4th of July in the sky.
He is one of two released June 30.

The usual blog must be postponed as we have a critical situation that requires immediate attention. You may remember the little Barn Owl by the Pepsi can.

He appears to be dancing but his left leg is deformed from a fall. The x-rays reveal a dislocated knee and fractures in 2 places. The fall from the barn rafters had a severe impact on his soft bones.
He has been progressing well. Appetite is superb and growth is consistent with his age.
He may never see the wild again
unless surgical intervention takes place.

In this picture you can see the deformity of the leg. The index finger is behind the knee. From the knee move downward toward the thumb. Notice how the foot is not in alignment with rest of the leg. There is full function of the foot so the nerves were not damaged.
This picture was taken prior to the first intervention by Dr. Gardner.
The Barnie was carefully anesthetised so the leg would relax. Dr. Gardner then wrapped the leg using a specially designed splint she developed for this particular case.
We were hoping for complete realignment and healing of all fractures.
June 26 we excitedly removed the splints. The knee and one fracture healed. The other fracture did not.

Waking up fom anesthesia(oh wow!) This little guy is a good candidate for a proceedure called external fixation. It requires putting surgical steel pins through the bones and using an external unit to keep the pins positioned until they heal completely. This is his last best hope.

Why is so much effort going into one little owl? Barn Owls are rarely seen yet we know they are out there. Their numbers have been dwindling. This little guy came from a barn near Meansville, Ga. There are 2 younger siblings still in the nest in the rafters of the barn. If we can get this leg repaired we may still be able to get him back with his siblings and they can all fledge. This a very rare opportunity to get one of these youngsters back in the wild. Best of all this farm is in a perfect location for Barn Owls to thrive.
Well you ask yourself "what has this to do with me?" He needs your help. We need your help to get this procedure done. A ball park figure for this procedure is around $400.00-$500.00. Our wildlife has no insurance policies, only us. This summer we have been so overrun with juvenile Redtails, Red Shoulders, Owls, and vultures our resources have been depleted. We need your help. 
We have a very narrow window of opportunity to get this procedure done. if you can spare $10, $20 or even more we need it.
Send your tax deductible checks to: Bubba and Friends, Inc.
                                                    PO Box 103
                                                    Zebulon, Ga. 30295
Or to donate electronically: laurenswildliferescueinc.org. Specify your  donation is for "Barnie". Since we do not have paypal yet LWR has agreed to accept donations on our behalf.
                                  
 

He has a chance to rejoin his family. Won't you help? It may be a hassle to write a check but think about the hassle basic movements are for him.
This is a Barn Family we rescued and relocated in 2001. It was very succesful because we all worked together.

Thank you for your time. I know the economy is tough and I hate to ask but we are so close, so close. A little from all of us can make a big difference.

GIve me your attention! It's catch up time again. Remember the Red Tail Hawks from last time? One hatched and one didn't. In spite of the great work by Jim Davidson the new baby lasted less than a week.

Here is a picture Jim took of the baby shortly after hatching. The baby required assistance to exit the egg as the membrane was very dry and restrictive. The device in the lower left corner monitors temp and humidity. We know the conditions were correct for the 4 days we had the eggs.
The second egg was opened and the chick was dead.

Laurens Wildlife Rescue sent us another unique case. According to LWR Director Vonda Morton, this little critter came in to care after it walked up to a person and stared pulling at his pants leg. These stories are great. This little baby will grow up to very large , very brown, and have a redhead. Right now it is an eating machine.

In the previous picture you saw the white fluffy baby that was identified as a Turkey Vulture. This one is a Black Vulture. Notice the creamy yellow colored down. Best way I know to identify the vulture is by the color of it's down.
Paul Powers was on the ground with his camera trying to photograph Bucky ( this Vulture has a name) when Bucky decided to stroll over and cuddle. So Paul quickly handed me the camera and I snapped this picture. It was unusual to see a baby Black Vulture intiate contact.
Bucky is a creamy fuzzy eating machine.
We are going to follow the development of these two in subsequent blogs. So you say you don't like these incredibly cute highly intelligent vultures? Hang on then I believe I can find something..... 

These 2 baby screech owls arrive from 2 different locations, one from CNC and the other from LWR. They are about the same age and both are in fine health. If you haven't noticed neither of them are pleased with the camera, the box or the pepsi. Both just finished their morning trough, I mean meal, and wanted to go to sleep. They achieved their goal about 5 minutes after this picture was taken. Currently they are progressing well and we hope to continue with more cheery pictures as they get older.
Pepsi does not pay us to use their product. We have used the cans for years. Since most folks don't carry rulers or tape measures I figured a drink can would be an easy point of measurement. Most folks know the size of a drink can. If pepsi should decide to send a check our address is on the contact page.
Drum roll please!
Here is a baby you rarely see.............

A real live baby barn owl. He took a terrible fall in a barn. He and his nest mate were rescued from a feed bin. The nestmate did not survive. Notice the right foot is turned toward the pepsi. He sustained a dislocation in the leg as a result of the fall. Otherwise he is a perfectly gangly baby barnie. He is currently under the expert care of Dr. Jennifer Gardner, DVM. We are hopeful for his future. I am adding a second picture of him since the two go great together!

In other news around the mews.......
Groucho the Oprey continues to confound us all. I figured after his wing was unwrapped he would be trying it out. Not Groucho. " You folks just throw my fish in here and get out." We are continuing to encourage him but he ain't playing the game.

Here at Bubba and Friends we try to find humor in as many things possible. It helps alleviate the frustration. The heat has set in along with the skeeters so we are back to changing water pans out daily. Plans are moving along to begin the new flight pen, the big one, the REALLY BIG one. Invitations to construct will be forth coming.
The first week in June I have been ask to present the raptors and the reptiles at the UGA Experiment Station summer camp in Griffin. Barbara Harris and company always run a good camp, they are a pleasure to work with. After my last visit I thought they might not invite me back. We played the Owl Game, organized chaos is the best desciption, and the kids did not want to quit. But the staff was good sports and we got it done.
We have had to turn down a number of programs due to lack of funding. Gas prices are killing us as well as a 70% drop in donations. It is the most horrible feeling to tell a kid "sorry we can't come because of money." Hey if you have a business and want make an impact on lives contact me. I will be glad to tell the folks who helped us get there!
It was great having Mr. Paul Powers visit and take a pictures. Paul and Amyjon Rogers are the 2 photographers we allow in to photograph the birds. They don't pay for the privilege, they have earned it. We receive many requests from photography clubs and groups to come out and photograph the birds. These birds are in rehab and do not benefit from contact with large groups of people.  Maybe Paul and AJ can start tutoring individuals. 
If you are highly motivated and straight up honest person who wants to help and get some money in return B&F,I is going to reopen 3 fundraiser postions.
The Fundraiser will get 25 cents on the dollar. We get 75 cents on the dollar.
Records have to be kept to satisfy our fans in the IRS and the Ga. Sec of State office. If you are interested contact me via the contact page, email, or telephone and I will meet with you to discuss it more.
Anyway it's late and I have prattled on long enough.
Thanks for your attention, you can have it back now.  
Steve

 Whew! Boy did April go out with a bang. Tornadoes and destruction everywhere. We were missed by a few hundred yards. Special thanks up front to Glyn Wright for use of his generator. His generator saved two freezers of rats and stuff while we were with out power Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I was content to eat canned stuff, it was especially good knowing that all the rats and other raptor foodstuffs were okay. Can't replace that from Kroger!
Wednesday morning I got a call from Stewart Farron of Action Critter Removal.
There was a Redtail Hawk nest at the Atlanta Airport and the parents were getting to close to incoming commercial aircraft. An Abatement Permit was issued to the Airport for the removal of the nest. In the nest were 2 brown speckled eggs that had to be accounted for. Stewart had to climb the tree and retrieve them. Wednesday was very windy, gusts in excess of 25 miles per hour.
Stewart put his fear in his back pocket( Stewart I know I am lyin' but it sounds better than the conversation we had about climbing in the wind) and went up the tree returning with both eggs. Both eggs were intact inspite of the conditions.

Here they are. Two Redtail Hawk eggs. Their saga continued after Stewart got them to me. Wednesday we lost power because of the Tornadoes, no incubator. After consultation with Mr.Hans Klaasen we opted for plan B. It worked well on Thursday. Friday Mr. Jim Davidson placed the eggs in one of his brooder units. Sunday guess what showed up? (No it wasn't Stewart looking for another tree to climb) It was a bouncing baby Redtail hawk. It is already eating very well, remember Glyn's generator saved the meat, and lunging at the food.
Pictures will be forth coming, you can bet on it. Since Redtails lay their eggs a couple days apart the second one should be hatching soon.
A quick note, Stewart Farron is one of the best wildlife removal specialist in Georgia, a little nuts too. He takes a very deliberate humane approach to wildlife problems and brings them to a successful resolution. Good job Stewart!
Glyn, Hans,and Jim thanks for all your input and efforts.
Unlike the Mother's Day tornadoes that ripped the Macon area a couple years ago( we got 40 raptors in intake) we have only received one raptor following these storms. Saturday evening the Georgia State Patrol brought us a mature male Redtail with a broken wing. The prognosis is good.
Okay emailers the Osprey does not have a name. Remember him in the last blog?
The wrap is off his wing. He is flapping both wings evenly yet is uninterested in trying to fly. What shall we name him? email me your ideas.
The second osprey succumbed to the infections in his wings. Laurens Wildlife Rescue started antibiotics under Veterinarian directions immediately upon receiving him. The therapy was continued when he arrived here. It was all for naught as he died in his sleep.
Mikey is doing........well Mikey is Mikey. He is being a precocious juvenile Great Horned Owl. He is flying with very good precision., he doesn't knock the others off the perch when he lands. He is progessing very well for his return to the wild.
Permit changes- Our permits have have been amended to add reptiles. After all the Gopher tortoises last year I requesed the addition to keep us legal. Keep your Boas and Burmese pythons they are not indiginous.
Speaking of reptiles I need to answer a confusement. When you find an Eastern Box turtle crossing the road and you opt to stop and help please place her, yes her, on the side of the road in the direction she is going. Smarter folks than me say it is usually a female and she is enroute to lay her eggs. Why they have to cross a road or highway I don't know.
Email answers- Okay Mary Kate here you go. I have done a lot of research on the questions you, Trey W. and Ashley asked. I think they are all related so I going to try to answer them in one answer. For the reader we were in the portion of Land of the Hawk program that deals with birds of prey in different
cultures. We talked about the Romans, the Native Americans, and then the Bible. Since all three of these youngun's are in private Christian Schools asked them to review their Bibles and see how many references they could find about birds of prey. Boy did they surprise me! Most adults don't find this.
In the book Deuteronomy( one of the first 5 books in the Bible known
 collectively as the Torah) Chapter 14 verses 12-19 God defines clean and unclean creatures. Eat the clean and don't eat the unclean, simple concept. If God said they are unclean are they nasty to touch and handle? There are great Bible scholars who can give very detailed explanations to this passage and it's meaning, I am not one of them. Since you 3 responded to my challenge I feel I must answer. So I have been researching and asking questions and going to give my answer now.
The words clean and unclean can replaced okay and not okay, as in okay to eat and not okay to eat.This passage specifically identifies Ospreys, owls, and other raptors. If God created all life and put things in to motion does it make sense that He knows what needs to be left alone so they can do their job? Each of the birds He called unclean are also top predators in their world. If you ate them, Kentucky Fried Osprey or Popeye's Screech Owl Nuggets, who would take over their job in the wild? You would have mice up the wahzoo.
We might have to give Mary Kate a baseball bat and let her chase the mice, on second thought I have seen Mary Kate with a baseball bat.
Guys does that make sense? Ask your teachers about this explanation. It took me a while but I got your answer. Trey you didn't mention what school you attended . I remember Ashley at her school in Griffin. Okay kids that's my best explanation.
If anyone has friends who are vendors at a Flea Market or run shops in tourist areas please pass this on to them. We get a lot of stuff donated that would do real well in either setting, and I would entertain the idea of selling the whole lot to such a vendor. Please pass this on and have them email me.
No clothes though. I gave 5 boxes of clothes to a family who was decimated by the tornadoes.
Thanks for your time.
Steve

This is Mikey, a very juvenile Great Horned Owl. He took a very bad fall from a very high tree. He is recovering from his injuries and is eating his way to health and happiness. Return to the wild is expected.
Remember as cute as they are they are still wild.  GHO babies have feet that want to move and they will walk right out of the nest and off the end of the limb. Caution is necessary when approaching a baby as the parents may well be around and they will protect the baby.They don't care how nice of person you are!
Fish Hook the Red Shoulder is back in the wild. He recovered nicely and was released. I don't believe he looked back either.
3 more Red Tails have also returned to the wild. Hopefully in time to mate and raise a new crop of RTs. Rick your Red Tail was one of them. 

Genius the Falcon was DNA tested and we can proudly anounce what he already new- he's a boy!!  It's official laboratory approved. They pulled down his genes. The lab even sent a nice little certificate, in case he forgets.

A couple of upcoming events:
Wild Azalea Festival April 16th from 10-3 at Reynolds Nature Preserve in Clayton County. Easy access from I-75. Admission is free. Very pretty place with beautiful azaleas. call 770-603-4188 for correct exit number. Feel free to tell Stephanie that Steve forgot the exit number.
Fayette County Earth Day April 16th from 10-3. Lot's of vendors with Green Products. www.fayettecoearthday.org.

Got a bunch of emails to answer here but have to finish my research. Also need you guys to answer the emails I sent you back. I just want to clarify your questions!!! You're not in trouble!! I just want to look smarter than a 1st grader.
Please answer and return ASAP or sooner.
I appreciate all the prayers and support I have been getting as I deal with this family illness (no it's not me so turn of the rumor mill). This has been very tough.
I know the sun will come up again.
Also hope to have a guest blogger soon. He has mentioned it and I said okay. He should be an interesting read.
I got two more feedings, "I'm coming Mikey!". So I will to leave ya'll for now.
Thanks for your time.....