Richmond, VA Falcons

[Donna]

Jeeze, not fair, poor baby! Not liking this bad news this am. Thanks Alison.

[MAK]

Fortunately she's alive but unfortunately she'll never live the life of a free flying falcon. 

[AlisonL]

An update on the little juvie after surgery:

July 23, 2014

On the afternoon of July 22, veterinary intern Dr. Meghan Feeney took Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 to surgery to remove the bird’s left eye. Dr. Dave McRuer, the Center’s veterinary director, was present to assist.

The falcon underwent what’s known as an eye “evisceration� – the contents of the eye were surgically removed. This is different from an “enucleation�, where the entire globe is removed. This means the basic shape of the falcon’s face will stay more symmetrical, and the missing eye will likely be less noticeable. The advantages of this surgery are that the bird’s face is better balanced, the surgery is shorter, and there is a decreased risk of affecting the sight in the remaining eye.

The surgery went well, though was a little more difficult than anticipated, due to the extensive damage in the bird’s eye. A moderately sized piece of scar tissue was removed, causing additional bleeding. After surgery, the falcon recovered from anesthesia well, though the surgical site continued to bleed. The bleeding eventually slowed, and the falcon was placed back in the Center’s holding room overnight. The Peregrine Falcon will be on a course of pain medications and antibiotics for the next several days; the veterinary staff will monitor the surgical site daily.

I am glad the surgery went well. I know she is in a place where she will receive the best of care, with knowledgeable and caring people. I wish her a speedy and pain-free recovery.

But . . . I wish she could be flying free with her sister . . .  they were so close, always together.

[Kris G.]

An update on the little juvie after surgery:

July 23, 2014

On the afternoon of July 22, veterinary intern Dr. Meghan Feeney took Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 to surgery to remove the bird’s left eye. Dr. Dave McRuer, the Center’s veterinary director, was present to assist.

The falcon underwent what’s known as an eye “evisceration� – the contents of the eye were surgically removed. This is different from an “enucleation�, where the entire globe is removed. This means the basic shape of the falcon’s face will stay more symmetrical, and the missing eye will likely be less noticeable. The advantages of this surgery are that the bird’s face is better balanced, the surgery is shorter, and there is a decreased risk of affecting the sight in the remaining eye.

The surgery went well, though was a little more difficult than anticipated, due to the extensive damage in the bird’s eye. A moderately sized piece of scar tissue was removed, causing additional bleeding. After surgery, the falcon recovered from anesthesia well, though the surgical site continued to bleed. The bleeding eventually slowed, and the falcon was placed back in the Center’s holding room overnight. The Peregrine Falcon will be on a course of pain medications and antibiotics for the next several days; the veterinary staff will monitor the surgical site daily.

I am glad the surgery went well. I know she is in a place where she will receive the best of care, with knowledgeable and caring people. I wish her a speedy and pain-free recovery.

But . . . I wish she could be flying free with her sister . . .  they were so close, always together.

WCV didn't have a Peregrine ambassador when we were there in April so if they decide keep her, it'll be a wonderful place for her. It is sad though but better than the alternative.

[AlisonL]

An update from July 30, 2014

Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 is recovering well from her eye evisceration surgery. The surgical site is healing well, and the falcon has been seen “head-bobbing� – moving her head up and down to judge depth perception and distance as she gets used to life with one eye.

The falcon did not eat well after surgery – at first, the vets suspected the bird was still painful from surgery, but after a few days of not eating, the veterinary staff decided to move the falcon to a small outdoor enclosure to see if the outdoor scenery would stimulate her appetite. The falcon began eating again, and appears to be doing well in the outdoor enclosure.

The veterinary team will continue to monitor the falcon’s evisceration site, and the rehabilitation staff will closely monitor the bird’s appetite. After the bird is fully healed and has had time to rest, the outreach staff will begin training the bird for outreach programs.

[AlisonL]

The most recent update:

August 26, 2014

On August 25, Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 was fitted with her education “equipment� – the leather anklets and jesses that are used for training and handling education raptors. While the bird was in hand, the veterinary team drew blood, trimmed the falcon’s talons, and performed a quick physical examination. As outreach coordinator Raina Krasner placed the anklets on the falcon, Dr. Dave noted that the scab covering the incision site in the falcon’s left eye socket was beginning to lift off. A small amount of clear fluid was draining from under the scab – suggesting that the surgical site could have an infection. Dr. Dave took samples and made a slide to check for bacteria under a microscope. In the meantime, the first training session proceeded as planned.

Amanda, the Center’s director of outreach, began working with the falcon -- the initial goal for any new bird-in-training is to allow the bird to get used to its new surroundings and ideally stand quietly on the trainer’s glove. At first, the falcon was not particularly interested in standing on the glove, and bated [flew off the glove] many times. This is to be expected – after a significant and lengthy treatment process, the falcon does not trust humans – so both Amanda and Raina will be working with the bird to build that trust. After spending some time quietly standing in the dark radiology room with the bird on the glove, Amanda was eventually able to sit in her office with the bird for a few hours.

Results from the slide sample revealed that the falcon does have a bacterial infection, though blood work was within normal limits. Dr. Dave decided that it would be best to treat the infection with oral and topical antibiotics, to ensure that the surgical site completely heals. This means that training will be delayed for about two weeks. The falcon will live in the Center’s holding room during treatment.

Photos of the little one may be found here:

http://wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/current-patients/peregrine-falcon-14-1319

She has been through so much in her short life. I hope things will start to get better for her.

[PatriciaRose]

Poor thing Get well soon!

[Kris G.]

The most recent update:

August 26, 2014

On August 25, Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 was fitted with her education “equipment� – the leather anklets and jesses that are used for training and handling education raptors. While the bird was in hand, the veterinary team drew blood, trimmed the falcon’s talons, and performed a quick physical examination. As outreach coordinator Raina Krasner placed the anklets on the falcon, Dr. Dave noted that the scab covering the incision site in the falcon’s left eye socket was beginning to lift off. A small amount of clear fluid was draining from under the scab – suggesting that the surgical site could have an infection. Dr. Dave took samples and made a slide to check for bacteria under a microscope. In the meantime, the first training session proceeded as planned.

Amanda, the Center’s director of outreach, began working with the falcon -- the initial goal for any new bird-in-training is to allow the bird to get used to its new surroundings and ideally stand quietly on the trainer’s glove. At first, the falcon was not particularly interested in standing on the glove, and bated [flew off the glove] many times. This is to be expected – after a significant and lengthy treatment process, the falcon does not trust humans – so both Amanda and Raina will be working with the bird to build that trust. After spending some time quietly standing in the dark radiology room with the bird on the glove, Amanda was eventually able to sit in her office with the bird for a few hours.

Results from the slide sample revealed that the falcon does have a bacterial infection, though blood work was within normal limits. Dr. Dave decided that it would be best to treat the infection with oral and topical antibiotics, to ensure that the surgical site completely heals. This means that training will be delayed for about two weeks. The falcon will live in the Center’s holding room during treatment.

Photos of the little one may be found here:

http://wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/current-patients/peregrine-falcon-14-1319

She has been through so much in her short life. I hope things will start to get better for her.

I do too, poor thing. If it had to be, WCV is a wonderful place for this young bird to be at..top care given to all birds and animals. We met and talked with Raina this past April, while touring the WCV, and she is Buddy's trainer!  Thanks for the update, Alison.

[MAK]

 

[AlisonL]

A new update on the little juvie. It's dated September 16, but did not show up on the site until today.

September 16, 2014

During the week of September 8, Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 finished the course of antibiotics for her eye injury. Blood work was drawn on September 11; the veterinary staff found that the falcon’s white blood cell count was low. Additional blood work was scheduled for Monday, September 15 to determine if any treatment was needed.

Results from the follow-up blood work revealed a higher white blood cell count, and the Peregrine Falcon’s eye was fully healed. The veterinarians gave clearance for education training to resume.

Director of outreach Amanda Nicholson began working with the falcon again on Monday afternoon. Amanda sat in her office with the falcon on the glove. This time, the falcon was more calm – while the bird will need to build trust and learn a lot in the coming weeks, the Peregrine Falcon surprised Amanda by readily eating food off of the glove!

During the next few weeks, the Peregrine Falcon will live inside and will spend her days with Amanda and outreach coordinator Raina. The bird will be on the glove during the day, and will live in a crate in the outreach room at night. As the Peregrine Falcon advances in training, the bird will be introduced to an outdoor enclosure. Amanda and Raina hope to train the falcon to make short flights to the glove for food, which will make it easier to retrieve the bird from the outdoor enclosure.

Photo from the site; more photos with the update.


 
I know she is in a really good place, and she will be well cared for, but it still must be very difficult for her.

[MAK]

A new update on the little juvie. It's dated September 16, but did not show up on the site until today.

September 16, 2014

During the week of September 8, Peregrine Falcon #14-1319 finished the course of antibiotics for her eye injury. Blood work was drawn on September 11; the veterinary staff found that the falcon’s white blood cell count was low. Additional blood work was scheduled for Monday, September 15 to determine if any treatment was needed.

Results from the follow-up blood work revealed a higher white blood cell count, and the Peregrine Falcon’s eye was fully healed. The veterinarians gave clearance for education training to resume.

Director of outreach Amanda Nicholson began working with the falcon again on Monday afternoon. Amanda sat in her office with the falcon on the glove. This time, the falcon was more calm – while the bird will need to build trust and learn a lot in the coming weeks, the Peregrine Falcon surprised Amanda by readily eating food off of the glove!

During the next few weeks, the Peregrine Falcon will live inside and will spend her days with Amanda and outreach coordinator Raina. The bird will be on the glove during the day, and will live in a crate in the outreach room at night. As the Peregrine Falcon advances in training, the bird will be introduced to an outdoor enclosure. Amanda and Raina hope to train the falcon to make short flights to the glove for food, which will make it easier to retrieve the bird from the outdoor enclosure.

Photo from the site; more photos with the update.


 
I know she is in a really good place, and she will be well cared for, but it still must be very difficult for her.

I agree! 

[carly]

Poor sweetheart.   

[Kris G.]

Videos of juvie (Education Ambassador in training) at WCV..doing well, so far!   


http://youtu.be/zU8oRkgh8DM

http://youtu.be/BmupL8ZPY4o

[MAK]

I think they need a bigger bird bath! 

[Donna]

Love the markings on her head! She's a cutie!!