http://raptoreducationgroup.blogspot.com/

Check out this blog. It's all good reading but scroll til you see the story about Volt...the really really Bald Eagle. Poor guy. He's been released. Also the first story is about a Bald eagle with lead poisoning.

I've been reading this blog for a couple hours now. WOW, so many Eagles with lead poisoning. They saved a few but most were too far gone. One Eagle had a fishing lure hooked on both talons. She struggled for about 10 days before anyone found her. She was down to 5 pounds, an adult too. 
Lots of owls and woodcock chicks.

A very good rehab place:

A blurry Beauty.

The birds are celebrities.  Regis and Kelly talked about them and they had an article in the NY post.  I will be on the street this weekend.

Go Bonnie! 

[Media helicopters force Gulf birds to abandon nests]

My neighbor is in Louisiana, helping to put out boom lines, plotting where to put them and such (he's some kind of crew chief).  Anyway, he told his wife this week about the news helicopter buzzing the island where a bunch of Brown Pelicans were nesting.  The birds scattered, and then the seagulls moved in to snatch the eggs.  Wildlife, fish, and plants are going to have a hard enough time surviving the oil - they don't need the added disturbances from news slugs.

Debbie in Texas

Yes, I posted an article about that the other day:

Media helicopters force Gulf birds to abandon nests

Birds in the Gulf of Mexico have a new enemy: the press. Media aircraft have been conducting illegal flights and disturbing birds over Breton National Wildlife Refuge, an Important Bird Area off the east coast of Louisiana where oil from the leaking BP wellhead has been washing ashore.

  for your neighbor!  I know they are asking for hair clippings from Beauty parlors to fill the booms. So far, 50 states and Canada have donated all their clippings to help out. They say the booms are made of a mesh and they can use hair to fill them as hair absorbs oils. So why not.

["Many groups are soliciting funds to help oiled wildlife in the Gulf. WATCH OUT! The only group working this spill is Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. They are being paid by BP! Others claiming to be caring for oiled wildlife are either not telling the truth, or doing something other than removing crude oil from ...feathers! Watch out for predatory fundraisers capitalizing on your compassion!"]

"Many groups are soliciting funds to help oiled wildlife in the Gulf. WATCH OUT! The only group working this spill is Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. They are being paid by BP! Others claiming to be caring for oiled wildlife are either not telling the truth, or doing something other than removing crude oil from ...feathers! Watch out for predatory fundraisers capitalizing on your compassion!"

http://raptoreducationgroup.blogspot.com/

Check out this blog. It's all good reading but scroll til you see the story about Volt...the really really Bald Eagle. Poor guy. He's been released. Also the first story is about a Bald eagle with lead poisoning.

!!! Etobicoke Update
May 12, 2010 - Etobicoke - Sun Life Centre
Kathy Reports:

Apologies for taking so long to give an update after Monday’s post!  Everything seems to be back to normal today and all is quiet.

Monday afternoon after my last report of the TR Male attempting to regain his site on Monday morning and Jack being wounded, they did both end up at our site on Monday afternoon.  It was more like Jack chasing poor Milton out of the other territory and they spilled into ours.  At one point Mom even joined in to help them along as she was quite agitated, jumping in and out of the nestbox and alarm calling. 

Interestingly, Milton returned here as Jack went back to the territory they were fighting over and he stayed here for the evening while Jack remained over there.  Milton tried to make friends with mom at one point but she wasn’t having any of it!  She came out of the nestbox a few times and chased him off and despite the fact she could have hurt him..she didnt’.  He didn’t seem injured, a bit roughed up no doubt but was flying quite well and spent most of his time here preening and fixing his feathers    He spent the night on one of the buildings nearby and was gone by the next morning so I expect he’s moved on…we hope for his sake anyway at least until Jack’s hormones stop raging!

Jack seemed to be more aggressive which makes sense as he has chicks/eggs at two sites whereas Milton seemd to be more confused about the entire situation and didn’t seem to be interested in a prolonged or fatal battle though he gave Jack a nice parting shot to remember him by.  What was really curious was that Jack didn’t seem to know that he was here at our site for several hours. 

Yesterday Jack was a bit more calm but he was still on alert and was only sighted here once however today he’s back to his usual routine and mom has had two breaks..I saw food come off the ledge so all is good.

Frank went up to the condo rooftop yesterday to see if he could see what was going on in the nestbox but given the cold, windy weather..Mom was not budging.  She didn’t blink, glared at him but she would not show him what she was hiding.  You can see in the nestbox that she was certainly sitting in a posture indicating she is definitely hiding something but until we see white fluffies…we’re not going to call it.  We will make another attempt next week if Spring ever decides to revisit us.

 

Beauty's back 2:25

1:19 Archer returns

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/crash-a-tale-of-two-species/video-full-episode/4772/  Full episode here. 50 minutes.

Crash: A Tale of Two Species
Video: Full Episode

This is the story of the fabric of life, and how every species is interconnected – each one important, no matter how big or small.  At its center is the humble horseshoe crab, a creature which has remained virtually unchanged for 350 million years.  Its annual spring spawning produces millions of eggs that are the lifeline for a tiny bird called the red knot, which migrates 10,000 miles from South America to the Arctic each year. Scientific and medical communities have discovered that the crab also provides an indispensable testing agent for drugs and vaccines, as well as resources for human optics and burn treatment.  But horseshoe crab numbers are plummeting from their new use as bait for the fishing industry, dropping by two-thirds or more since 1990.  And the precious pyramid depending on this age-old creature is about to come crashing down. Filmed and presented on television in high definition.

Beauty back at 8:14

  Hey..where'd she go? 8:20
Still looking for her

[What's a Nunda?]

I wish I could but I'm in Nunda for a couple weeks house and animal sitting. Darn!

LOL...I'll be doing that all next week..house and animal sitting. For two different people...   What's a Nunda? Is that a place? 

I found the video where Polly takes a eyas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTuljWqemVc&feature=related

This is the strangest thing I have ever seen
Greetings Carla

Nope...I just can't watch it.

He's smiling! 

Barney the Barn Owl got his first taste of freedom in months on Saturday, 8 May, and all indications are that he’ll soon be returning to the wild.

The mature Barn Owl arrived at Cayman Animal Hospital in January, after he was found suffering from injuries received either from colliding with a building or a car, said Alison Corbett, programme manager of Cayman Wildlife Rescue, which has been involved in Barney’s care since his arrival.

Since January, Barney has been kept in a flight cage, under the auspices of Cayman Wildlife Rescue, and he has received treatment form Dr Lana Watler of Cayman Animal Hospital and Dr Heather Barron of St Matthews Veterinary University.

Part of this treatment involved feeding him, and to that end, mice were flown in from the United States -- very expensive mice -- costing an average of $80-$90 a month, which Dr Watler and Dr Barron have generously covered.

On Saturday Barney was allowed to fly freely (in a very large contained area) since his initial treatment.

Wildlife rescue team leaders Mikaella Lacerda and Rogerio Pitta, who have been overseeing Barney’s care, attended his first flight, leading up to his eventual return to the wild.

“We intend to fly him twice a week, for the first week, then on to every other day, and then prior to his release, every day,� said Dr Barron. The Cayman Wildlife Rescue has five other birds in its care and intends to release them when they are fully able to return to the wild.

The Barn Owl is one of the most common of all owls and is very versatile in the use of nest sites and in selection of prey, strong powers of flight, and an ability to use human-modified habitats, according to the Birds of North America web site.

Cayman Wildlife Rescue is a program of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands. This project is staffed entirely by volunteers and is financed 100 percent by donations from the public.