STEM day at College of Southern Idaho in Burley
Let's play a game....
What kind of baby is this???
Follow up to that:
The adult version of this bird is usually confused with another bird, what is it?
Bonus points: How can you tell them apart??
Quick video of the baby barn owls that came in the other day! Do you notice the size difference? The cool part about that is these 3 babies came from the same nest!
Wanna learn more about how & why? Keep reading....
Barn owls are cavity nesters and will use small cavities in trees, attics and farm buildings such as shops & barns. Out in the western part of the US where we are located, they nest in the cavities between bales in hay/ straw stacks. This is a huge struggle in itself, especially when farmers have to move hay- which is what happened to these 3. The farmer didnt realize there was an active nest and may not have even known what to look for. Unfortunately the nest was destroyed and some of the babies didnt survive. These 3 were found and unfortunately could not be put back so they were brought into rehab.
This is the reason we partnered up with University of Idaho aand developed the big barn owl conservation & owl box project! **
Barn owls, specifically, are pretty interesting because unlike most birds, the eggs/babies dont all hatch at the same time. Once a pair finds a nest site, the female will start to lay eggs. Typical clutch size is 4-8 babies although I've personally seen as many as 13 babies in a single nest. The number of eggs laid by a female is dependent on a variety of things. Age/ experience of owls, time of year, weather conditions and abundance of food are all factors that play a part in clutch size. Incubation begins after the first egg is laid and the female will continue to lay eggs for 2-3 weeks. Babies will start hatching 30-32 days after their incubation begins and because of how barn owls lay eggs and incubate, the babies will hatch 2-3 days apart. With this, the age difference between the first and last hatch can be as much as 3 weeks!
Raptor babies will double in size every week from the time they hatch to the time the reach full size and barn owls reach full size around 58-62 days. These 3 babies have an age difference of abou
"Hairy" is quite happy with some new friends!! His favorite activity is snuggling up with them and napping though❤❤❤
Duck update....
I woke up this morning and when doing my rounds, I found the smaller of the two ducklings had passed away during the night. I'm not sure what caused it exactly but I have my suspicions (exposure to elements, poor/no nutrition, stress).
The surviving duckling seems to be doing well this far.. This is the one who had the hair wrapped around his beak and tongue. The good news is his tongue looks amazing, has its color back and is no longer ice cold to the touch .. which means I'm pretty sure his tongue is going to be okay and not be lost!
I will continue to keep an eye on things and update as needed but with any luck this little guy is out of the woods and on the road to recovery ❤
Oh, and from now on, his name is "Hairy" 🤣🤷♀️
This is not the typical post I make so PLEASE HEED WARNING!
***THIS IS GRAPHIC***
And with that warning, know this is ALSO reality.
Reality is this....
♾ Rehab is NOT for the faint of heart...
♾ Rehab is NOT always "butterflies and rainbows"
♾ Rehab IS brutal, gruesome and SO much more than "feeding and handling cute birds/animals until they're released
♾ Rehab IS extensive training and experience to be able to assess an endless list of injuries, illnesses and issues. Its administering medicines, IV fluids, triage and care, medically examining injuries sustained and stabalizing animals, sometimes for days before a vet can be available
♾ Rehab is also THIS 😭
The rough legged hawk that came in yesterday has been INTENTIONALLY SHOT! After intake and a thorough exam that took 2.5 hours, I not only found a break in his/her right hand, but I also found an entrance AND exit wound from what appears to be from a small caliber rifle. These wound forms a straight line across the chest of this bird. How this bird survived is beyond me and I am doing everything in my power to help this bird mend now that he/she is in my care
We need xrays to determine the extent of the damage but as for now, we have started antibiotics and pain medication as well as fluids and CAREFULLY tube feeding. . .
My heart is heavy tonight. I do not understand how people can be SO heartless and cruel. This is VERY intentional shot placement on this bird and theres no way in hell this was an "accident". From the line up of entrance/exit wounds, this was most likely a shot taken with the bird directly in front of the shooter- this wound goes from armpit to armpit across the birds chest. . Which likely is NOT a shot taken if this bird is in flight.
I will never understand people who intentionally injure animals for "sport", "fun" or out of "boredom". . . . .
Maybe someone reading this knows something I dont. .
Maybe someone knows who the guilty party is with this Rough Legged Hawk
Maybe s
It's getting to the "slower" time of the year but that doesn't mean we aren't still doing intakes and releases. Here is a "sweet" female great horned owl that just couldn't wait to leave us in the dust
Most recent release!
This male mallard came in after being found in a parking lot and not flying. . After a few days of food and water, hes doing great as you can see. . .
Good luck little ducky!
1 of 2 great horned owls we released this evening. . . It's always refreshing to be able to return these amazing animals back to where they belong❤
Days like this make all the blood, sweat and tears worth it. Release of the Great Horned Owl caught in a barbed wire fence.
Junior was asked to join Fish and Game to attend a meeting with a local Boy Scout Troop. Tessa from F&G talked about feathers, feet and beaks together with Kasey and I explaining rehab and education. We are grateful for the opportunity to come out and spark excitement because without education, rehab work is done in vain.
Heres a video from a juvenile bald eagle I took in back several months ago. . The gal who called me took this and just sent it. . Figured you all would like to see
This was after the 400yd chase through the woods and a field and I was exhausted, trying to answer the questions the property owner had. . .
My first successful Northern Harrier release! She was out hunting and flew into a tractor. She has some soft tissue damage and bruising on one of her wings that resolved itself within a few days and I was able to release her this morning 💖💖
In rehab, I always tell people we deal with so much trauma and loss, we have to focus on the releases instead of the losses . . . This is one I am definitely celebrating
Second successful release of the night. .. we released a red tailed hawk earlier and this feisty great horned owl . . Even though I raised her from 8 or 9 days old, she was adamant to leave me bleeding because she was so wild. ..
This is how you know theyve been raised properly... they're vicious and have no problem trying to kill you. .
..this is also why it's so important to get injured/orphaned wildlife to qualified officials who can see to their needs properly instead of attempting to "do it yourself", assuming you know what you're doing or knowing exactly what you're dealing with. All too often, wildlife will not show "signs" that the general public notices and it takes a skilled and trained eye to detect these problems
As a permit holder for both state and federal permits for the last several years, I can tell you it takes extensive, hands on training to be able to raise and assess wildlife properly. It's such more than just feeding animals. . .
If you come across injured or orphaned wildlife, please, ALWAYS reach out to the professionals to assess the situation and see if a bird needs help and intervention
2 of 2 releases from tonight
1 of 2 successful releases again tonight.... having successes in rehab never gets old
3 of 4 more successful releases tonight. . .
*same caption as before*
Only one more of the original 5 "muppet babies". . . Shes still not quite feathered out yet. . .
& yes, this one left a nasty bite on my chest before releasing as seen in the video. . . She definitely drew some blood . .
So for those wondering, "do they learn to love/trust you?", my answer is simple, "no..... for if they do, they are no longer wild and can not be released. I have mutual understanding with the rehab birds, I help/feed them, they want to kill me. . .period. if it were any other way, it would cost the bird its life "
Nature isn't always nice and these birds need to be as relentlessly vicious as they can be before I release them. . . It's the best chance I can give them.
