Oh what a day at OWL today. It didn’t start out that great what with the freezing temps overnight resulting in lots of black ice on the roads, and there are deep ditches on both sides of 72nd (which is the only way in to OWL) so I was quite cautious driving. But it turned out spectacular by the afternoon and I posted a couple of pics on the Ground Observers thread if you’d like to take a look.
We got another Pygmy owl in (that makes 3 in rehab now). I was looking after his section and when I entered his room I couldn’t find him anywhere. There was a large Christmas tree in the corner of his cage so I figured he was in there. As I progressed further into the cage he shot out at me and almost got me in the face! At least I know he’s feeling pretty good.
Then there is the Barn owl that came in from the Vancouver airport. He had been found hiding out in a jet engine and was absolutely covered in oil. Good thing the jet was parked otherwise things would not have been good for him. He has had several baths now so is looking much better (and yes, it’s true…we use Dawn dishwashing detergent to clean oiled birds).
Horton is doing really well. He has gained 60 grams, or a little over 2 ounces (28 grams = 1 ounce). That may not sound like much but anything is an improvement for him. He is also getting back some of his strength because he put up quite a fight when I went to grab him for his feeding. He had such a good grip on my glove that when I tried to put him on the scale he would not let go and Rob had to pry his talons off of me. Of course it could still go either way as there may be something going on internally that we’re not aware of, but I’m really optimistic about his chances.
Other than that, there’s not much to talk about. Only 6 more sleeps until Santa arrives at OWL with (hopefully) some extra mice and goodies for the birds.

Mornin' Jewill! I was here last night reading but I wasn't logged in and too lazy to....hehe Yikers to your drive in! I hate that black ice man it drives me crazy. I'm so glad you're in one piece.

Holy moly the new BAPO is living up to his namesake huh? Little boogers those guys are but I guess when you're that small you must overcompensate huh? Ohh my the poor Barn Owl, off all places to hide sheesh. He's one lucky guy that didn't get fired up, so is the airline for that matter. I use Dawn also and register it so that it counts. I'm not sure people know that part!

I'm so glad to hear that Horton has gained some weight albiet very little it's still a start. I sure hope there's nothing more wrong and that he continues to pack it on till he's at his right weight. That's really something the death grip he had on you. I just can't imagine the terror they must feel, sure would be good if they knew it was for their own good.

Santa asked me to send some money out for mice for him so I did, should be getting it shortly. Make sure Horton gets some from me ok?

See you Wednesday my friend

We had several volunteers in today at OWL. Because school is not in session some of the kids who usually come only on the weekend decided to spend some of their vacation looking after the birds. I had a trainee with me so that was kind of nice (as usual I made him do most of the ‘dirty’ work); we looked after the Front Education birds and just to make his 1st day a memorable one I also took him to meet Ladyhawke. She was in fine form too – perched just above the door, daring us to come into the cage. Neither one of us took her up on the challenge since she still had quite a bit of food left over from yesterday.
Horton is hanging in there. He is still in Intensive Care but he is eating on his own (so no more cat food or force feeding); he continues to receive IV fluids though just to ensure that he stays well hydrated. We didn’t get a weight on him today but his keel (breastbone) is still quite prominent so he’s not out of the woods just yet. He put up a good fight when I grabbed him for his injection so that’s a good sign.
One of the little Pygmy owls has made a remarkable recovery in just a few days. He was probably either hit by a car or he slammed into a building because when he came in his wing was badly bruised and swollen but fortunately not broken. The swelling has gone down completely and the bruising is starting to go away, plus he’s trying to escape from his cage. He’s almost ready for release but will have to wait until the new-year because he has to be banded and the next time that happens isn’t until mid January.
The YVR Barn owl got another bath today. Rob doesn’t think he actually ingested any of the oil so that’s definitely a good thing (if he had, he’d probably be dead by now).
So, that’s it from OWL for today. I need to collapse on the couch this evening because I’m afraid I over-indulged in all of the goodies that people have brought in – cookies, chocolates, snacks of all types, and, you get the picture.
Here is a picture that a friend sent to me. I don't know where she got it so I can't give credit, but I liked it so I'll share it with you.

To all who visit here...Merry Everything...may you experience contentment and joy with your loved ones during this holiday season.

Jewill that's the way! make the new ones do the dirty work, breaks them in good. Man you just gotta love Ladyhawke, that would have been a bit much as an initiation.

Oh I'm glad to hear Horton is eating and getting fluids but ratzzz to his breast bone still showing! I sure hope he continues to gain even a little all the time.

Great to read the one little BAPO is doing well. The extra time till the next banding will only build him up more so it's all good.

I was talking to Bev yesterday I think it was and I was mentioning how lucky that guy was that was found in the jet engine! Unreal and I'm glad he's doing well. I also told her mouse money should be landing any day now if it hasn't already.

awww very cute owl drawing! Merry Everything right back atchya GF I hope you have a great time too!

See you Sunday(?)

Oh I almost forgot! We have a new thread for discussing the difference between Golden and Bald eagle juveniles. The Content Providers run into questionable juvies all the time so it's a place to bring them. I doubt that you get in many if any Golden juveniles but in the event that you do would you get me pictures of it? Bev knows about the thread and already ok'd me putting Goldie and Merritt on there so she knows I'll want pics. We're particularly interested in beak, legs and where white is found on them such as under wings and on tail.

The wind was just howling most of the day today. It was so bad the walls were rattling and any time you opened a door it quickly slammed shut. I didn’t see many wild eagles because I’m sure they were smart enough to hide somewhere safe and warm.
I did spend my usual Sunday at OWL. I’d much rather be there hanging out with the birds than at the mall battling the crowds. I think everyone was glad to see us there because yesterday, being Christmas day, was just a half day; there were only a few people in for a couple of hours to feed them and give meds.
I am so happy to report that Horton has turned the corner, and for the better. He weighed in at 1095 grams (2 pounds, 6 ounces) this morning. That’s up a whopping 105 grams (3.75 ounces) in just one week! He is eating on his own, he no longer needs IV fluids and obviously the worms have been taken care of. As Rob said “It looks like we got this one in time”. He will remain with us for a while longer because he still needs to put on more weight and get some meat on his bones. Then he will need time in a flight cage to get his wing strength back. He probably won’t be ready for release until March and I have asked Rob if it’s at all possible, I’d like to do the honours.
All 3 Pygmy owls have been moved to the next level of care so, in other words, they are all doing very well. The 1 with the broken wing that was in Intensive care got his wing wrap removed and he was put in a room-sized cage in Interim care. When I last looked in on him he had eaten 1 of his 2 mice and he was sitting up on the perch, so he must have flown up there by himself - a very good sign.
The Barn owl who was oiled by a jet engine has also been moved from Intensive care. He still has a very small amount of oil on his wings and chest but Rob said it’s not worth putting him through the stress of another bath.
The bird care was all done by 1 pm and being a holiday there were no visitors so to keep myself busy I pulled the case files for all of the birds we have seen in rehab in 2010. To date there have been 338; among them 80 Barred owls, 47 Bald eagles and 49 Barn owls. The most unusual bird we got was a Saker falcon; it’s not really fair to say that we got it in rehab because it was given to us from the estate of a falconer. She’s a really pretty bird, estimated to be 18 years old and is completely habituated to humans – she just sits there on your glove and kind of chirps at you.
Lori – you are correct in that we do not see many Golden eagles; there were none in rehab in 2010 and I think only 1 in 2009. If one does show up I’ll try to get you a few pictures, but don’t hold your breath.
So, until Wednesday….

Great news about Horton! Amazing how fast they can do some initial recovery once things come together. And wonderful that the pygmy owls are also coming right along!

Thanks so much for these updates, Judy - they're always so interesting to read!

Judy, we've had some wild weather here on lower Vancouver Island the past couple of days and I hope none of our eagle nests blew down I'm glad to hear Horton is doing so well; I hope Rob will agree to let you do the honours when it is time to release him The other birds all seem to be doing very well with their rehab. which is good to hear. I hope you enjoyed your day on Christmas and I hope the birds all got an extra special treat from Santa I do look forward to reading your updates; you do a fantastic job

wowie to the winds Jewill we get those a lot here being right on Lake Huron so I know what that's like. Oh man me too about the malls! I'd rather be in a pit of snakes than there hahaaaa.

woooooohoooooo Horton!! you go boy! Wow that's a nice gain and oh how I hope you can do the release when his time comes. Man that makes it all worthwhile huh when one turns around so good like that. I made Bev laugh saying I wanted her to be sure he gets one of the mice she buys with the money I sent...hehe

awww that's great that all the BAPO's are doing well and eating good. That poor guy from the jet engine man what a place to hide! I hope that bit of oil doesn't lower his chances, I guess Rob thinks another bath will though so he knows best.

Ohhhh can you get us a pic of the Saker? How cute is that in one way but mostly sad in the other that it's so habituated. Gee 18 is good huh? Ok I won't hold my breath for Golden's but now you know to be on the lookout in case. I am too this year, last year it didn't even dawn on me but they're here for the winter too so now I'm paying attention!

Thanks so much jewill, see you Wed

is this what he looks like?