Richmond, VA Falcons

[falconsforever129]

  Sounds like Jemison except for the retina injury. We know it can heal from the broken bones but I don't know about that eye. I would think it would have a rough time in the wild with only one good eye. You never know. 

MAK, that was what I was thinking too! That poor bird...I think it's abilities to hunt would be greatly compromised with only one eye :-(  Thank goodness it didn't happen when she had her babies in the nest needing her...
I am sending out healing thoughts and prayers for her.

[Bird Crazy]

poor girl hoping for a miracle 

[Annette]

Speedy recovery for this female. 

[Donna]

WAYNESBORO -- A female peregrine falcon that's made its home in Richmond for seven years is recovering from injuries in Waynesboro.

She was taken Tuesday night to the Wildlife Center of Virginia, which is home to Buddy, an eagle from Norfolk Botanical Garden.

X-rays indicate the falcon has a coracoid fracture and likely a shoulder injury and a detached retina.　 All the injuries are on her right side.

"Our vets believe these injuries are associated with a collision, perhaps she struck a building," center spokesman Randy Huwa told WVEC.com.

Vets administered pain medications, fluids, and anti-inflammatories and secured the falcon in a body wrap.

The bird nested on the BB&T Building in downtown Richmond from 2003-2005 and then moved to Riverfront Plaza.

This bird is the matriarch of the Richmond peregrine operation," Huwa added.

She was found in downtown, picked up by Richmond Animal Control and taken to Carey Street Veterinary Hospital.

Assessments continued Wednesday.

It will likely be a few weeks before it's known whether the falcon can be released.

As for Buddy, staff continues to train him as an education bird and they're working to get him to sit calmly on a handler’s gloved hand.

Buddy has a two-page spread in the 2011 "Garden of Eagles" calendar, which is on sale now.　 The calendar also has more than 50 photographs taken by enthusiasts during the 2010 nesting season.

Proceeds will benefit the center's construction of a new permanent home for Buddy and the Va. Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries and Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary

[falconsforever129]

Ah look at that poor sweet girl :-(  She looks so patient as if she knows she is in good hands...Thank you for posting this Donna...
I hope she gets better and can be released....

[jeanne]

This poor gal is named Harriet and also has many followers.  Hope her eye heals so she can return to "ozzie."

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/local-news/2010/oct/15/falc15-ar-564214/

[Donna]

A few celebrities have taken residence in Waynesboro.

At the Wildlife Center of Virginia, two famous birds are being treated by the vets.

One is a Horned Owl who was stuck in a chimney for two weeks.

The other is a Peregrine Falcon who was the first to help a population boom of the species in the Richmond area.

She has a broken shoulder and detached retina, and may not be able to be released.

"A lot of the birds are starting to go off their breeding territories, and there's a lot of migration going on right now," said Dave McRuer, the Director of Veterinary Services at the Center. "And the birds, the more they move, the more they come into contact with things like vehicles, fly into buildings, and if they've done that in a public place, then people will often find them, put them in a cardboard box or something, and bring them here to the center for treatment.

Mcruer warns to be very careful when handling an injured bird of prey, because their talons and beaks are very sharp, and very strong.

[Donna]

On October 14, the Center veterinary staff did a blood test on the falcon — results were within normal ranges.  The staff redid the body wrap that was used to keep the bird from flapping its injured wing.  With the old wrap, the falcon was sternal; with the new wrap, the bird is standing.  The falcon was offered “quail two waysâ€� — whole and chopped — and ate [she seemed to prefer whole].
October 18 update

The peregrine was brought into the clinic for an examination and check-up by Drs. Miranda Sadar and Kelly Flaminio on October 18.  New radiographs were taken, which indicated that the injuries to the right shoulder are healing well.  The fractured portion of the coracoid is well-positioned.  The vets will likely need to keep the peregrine in a body wrap for another two to three weeks.

The vet staff also had the first opportunity to perform a more thorough examination of the peregrine’s eyes while she was under anesthesia.  Upon admission, the Center vets found that the peregrine had a detached retina in her right eye.  On October 18, the vets found no improvement in that eye.  In addition, a small spot was found in the peregrine’s left eye — most likely an older eye injury.

On Thursday, October 21, Drs. Miranda and Kelly will be taking the peregrine to the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech for a consultation with J. Phillip Pickett, DVM, Professor of Ophthalmology in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

The peregrine is eating well on her own.  Her entree of choice is whole quail.
About the Peregrine Falcon

The falcon — a large female [weight of 1 kg] — has been identified by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologists as the female from the pair of peregrines that have been nesting in downtown Richmond since 2003 — first at the BBT Building, and more recently on the west building of the Riverfront Plaza.  This pair has produced numerous offspring, included chicks that have been used to introduce peregrines into other areas of Virginia.

This female also has been the “starâ€� of the VDGIF Falcon Cam – a web-based camera focused on the falcon’s nest.  Web-cam watchers have given this bird the name “Harrietâ€� – her mate, of course, is Ozzie.

[Earlier this year, the Center admitted and transferred for release a juvenile Peregrine Falcon -- likely one of the hatchlings from this Riverfront Plaza nest.]

The Peregrine Falcon is a native species to Virginia, once nesting in the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains.  By the early 1960s, the falcon was believed to be extinct as a breeding species in Virginia and all areas east of the Mississippi River — a decline linked to the widespread use of DDT and other chemicals.  A program of peregrine reintroduction began in Virginia in 1978.  There are now about 20 known breeding pairss of peregrines in Virginia.

[MAK]

  Thanks for the update Donna! 

[falconsforever129]

Yes, thank you Donna!

[Donna]

A rare falcon that was injured in downtown Richmond appears to be healing, experts say.

The falcon, named Harriet, has nested downtown with her mate, Ozzie, since 2003.

A downtown worker found the bird on the ground near Shockoe Slip Oct. 12. Experts believe she crashed into a glassy window.

The bird suffered a right-eye injury, among other problems. Peregrine falcons, which eat smaller birds that they catch in flight, need perfect vision to survive in the wild.

Harriet is being cared for at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. The eye appears to be healing, but it's too early to say if the falcon can one day be returned to the wild, a center spokesman said today

[falconsforever129]

This is good news :-))))
She is in my prayers....

[MAK]

 

[Donna]

Richmond, Va. --

Harriet, a rare falcon injured in downtown Richmond, appears to be on the mend.

The peregrine falcon suffered a detached retina and a shoulder fracture when she apparently crashed into a glassy high-rise window Oct. 12.

Harriet is being cared for at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a wild-animal hospital in Waynesboro.

The injuries seem to be healing, but it is too early to tell if Harriet can be returned to the wild, said Miranda Sadar, a wildlife-center veterinarian.

The retina appears to be reattaching naturally. "It is not fully reattached, nor do we know if it indeed will do so," Sadar said.

Peregrine falcons can top 100 mph when diving through the air to catch a smaller bird to eat. They need perfect vision to survive in the wild.

Harriet and her mate, Ozzie, have nested downtown since 2003. A downtown worker found Harriet, unable to fly, Oct. 12 on the ground near Shockoe Slip.

 

[jeanne]

Sweet precious baby!  Heal well!