A chilly fall day in Rochester.  From fb

[Breeding & NestingWhoopers usually build a nest in marshes or shallow ponds, in about 25 cm of water (the flightless chicks can swim to escape predators) and most often in relatively dense stands of bulrush.]

A quote from the main Whooping crane site: Operation Migration

Breeding & Nesting

Whoopers usually build a nest in marshes or shallow ponds, in about 25 cm of water (the flightless chicks can swim to escape predators) and most often in relatively dense stands of bulrush.

I can't be that wrong if they call them Whoopers.

Breezy up there

Beauty makes an early appearance
Looking up, DC prob up there, just like yesterday!

7:10 am  DC

Chuppers

Can someone explain the color choices?

The wire color? That's the color of the spiral wire that holds the calendar pages together.

Ahhhhh, cool! 

Can someone explain the color choices?

Border colors?

Pellet, emptying her crop or yelling at DC!!

1:06 pm  DC

It can happen with any species! Very sad, poor baby girl! 

[MAKfalcon (MAK):]

MAKfalcon (MAK): From

Link:
http://twitter.com/MAKfalcon/statuses/256392946641940481

???   

Updates on Eagle with old gunshot wound:

October 10, 2012
Dr. Rich took Bald Eagle #12-2418 to surgery on Wednesday, October 10.  After veterinary technician Leigh-Ann and several veterinary externship students anesthetized and prepped the eagle for surgery, Dr. Rich began the long, difficult task of re-breaking and resetting the eagle’s leg.

Dr. Rich spent some time prior to surgery taking measurements of the healing fracture to determine the best place to make the break.  After making a long incision in the eagle’s leg, Dr. Rich used a sagittal saw connected to a pneumatic drill to re-fracture the eagle’s leg (tibiotarsus). 

Once the break was made, Dr. Rich inserted a long metal intramedullary (IM) pin through the area around the eagle’s knee, down the length of the fractured bone to hold the two pieces in place.  The incision in the eagle’s leg was then sutured closed and an external fixator system – consisting of two small metal pins – was put in place to help stabilize the IM pin.  Dr. Rich and team then moved the eagle to the Center’s radiology room to take a quick radiograph to check pin placement.

Dr. Rich was not pleased with what he saw – the IM pin was not in the best place to secure the two pieces of fractured bone.  Dr. Rich and team returned to surgery to re-place the pins.  As of just after 5:00 p.m., Dr. Rich and team were still in surgery.  By 6:00 p.m., everything was in place and the team took another set of radiographs.  Dr. Rich was much happier this time around -- everything looked to be in a good position.  The team began to recover the eagle from anesthesia.

October 11, 2012
Dr. Rich and team placed the eagle in an enclosure in the Center’s holding room at about 7:00 p.m. on the evening of October 10.  The eagle recovered from anesthesia and the team placed several towels in a “donutâ€� shape to help support the bird as it laid down.

On the morning of October 11, Dr. Rich found the eagle to still be laying in the donut – but was awake and alert!  The eagle was picked up for a course of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain medications; the team also performed a check of the pin sites.  While the soft tissue on the eagle’s injured leg is quite swollen, the pin sites look good.  Dr. Rich also notes that the eagle is able to clench its talons on its injured foot.

While the eagle is still in guarded condition, Dr. Rich was pleased to see his patient this morning.
 
During surgery

Gadwall dozing and leaning on a red-eared slider taken at Estero Llano Grande in the Rio Grande Valley, TX. Digiscoped with iPhone 4s & Swarovski ATM 80 mm scope.

Both on OCSR!