tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
I finally got my foot in the door. I've been an educational volunteer with Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care for a few years now. Anytime they need to do a show involving local snakes and lizards, Cindy gives me a call. So it was with great excitement that I took a job as Wildlife Intern this summer.
Along with a tremendous opportunity to learn a LOT about animals I am less familiar with, I also get to be pretty close to some amazing animals. That means photos!
Raptors are our most common patients. We work on orphaned and injured raptors and Corvids more than any other animal. We do some small mammals, ducks and geese, and songbirds, too, but more than anything, we care for the raptors...
Juvenile Red Tail Hawks
This is the one on the left in the above picture. This poor young man was electrocuted. He will likely never fly again, and may eventually need his wing amputated. Truthfully, he should have been euthanized as he is absolutely "unreleasable", but our education bird, Karma(another Red Tail Hawk), opted for self release this past fall, so we *might* be able to get an educational permit for this bird. We hope to, anyhow...
Great Horned Owl nestling. This is one of three orphaned nestlinbgs currently at the center. All 3 are VERY strong, have fantastic attitudes, and will be released before fall. We also have an adult female with a massive wing laceration. The cut is healing fine and we expect her to have a full recovery, but the last thing she needs is some dude sticking a camera in her face, so I left her alone.
This is Lucky, a nestling Red Tail Hawk. He was found on the ground, no sign of parents or siblings anywhere in the vicinity. It is very difficult to raise these birds from this young without "imprinting" them on humans, but so far we have succeeded with Lucky. As long as we can maintain a high level of care without "taming" him, he has a fantastic chance at a life of freedom. No injuries, no illnesses, just way too young to be on his own. Some flying time and a few hunting lessons, and Lucky will be released before fall sets in. He might end up being a "soft release" though. The center is backed by a few thousand acres of public land. A soft release behind the center would secure Lucky's future by allowing him the option of retunring to the center for food and/or shelter as he needs...
That's it for now. Thanks for looking!
Along with a tremendous opportunity to learn a LOT about animals I am less familiar with, I also get to be pretty close to some amazing animals. That means photos!
Raptors are our most common patients. We work on orphaned and injured raptors and Corvids more than any other animal. We do some small mammals, ducks and geese, and songbirds, too, but more than anything, we care for the raptors...
Juvenile Red Tail Hawks
This is the one on the left in the above picture. This poor young man was electrocuted. He will likely never fly again, and may eventually need his wing amputated. Truthfully, he should have been euthanized as he is absolutely "unreleasable", but our education bird, Karma(another Red Tail Hawk), opted for self release this past fall, so we *might* be able to get an educational permit for this bird. We hope to, anyhow...
Great Horned Owl nestling. This is one of three orphaned nestlinbgs currently at the center. All 3 are VERY strong, have fantastic attitudes, and will be released before fall. We also have an adult female with a massive wing laceration. The cut is healing fine and we expect her to have a full recovery, but the last thing she needs is some dude sticking a camera in her face, so I left her alone.
This is Lucky, a nestling Red Tail Hawk. He was found on the ground, no sign of parents or siblings anywhere in the vicinity. It is very difficult to raise these birds from this young without "imprinting" them on humans, but so far we have succeeded with Lucky. As long as we can maintain a high level of care without "taming" him, he has a fantastic chance at a life of freedom. No injuries, no illnesses, just way too young to be on his own. Some flying time and a few hunting lessons, and Lucky will be released before fall sets in. He might end up being a "soft release" though. The center is backed by a few thousand acres of public land. A soft release behind the center would secure Lucky's future by allowing him the option of retunring to the center for food and/or shelter as he needs...
That's it for now. Thanks for looking!
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