Three years ago today

I was at the Bird TLC clinic and Cindy had a snowy owl that just came in from Soldotna with a broken wing. He needed to have x-rays done and she asked if I would give her a hand. Of course I said yes but little did I know that it would become a life long (so far) commitment.

The break was pretty clean and Dr. Palmatier said he was a perfect candidate for having a stainless steel pin placed in his wing for it to heal. I was well known for not being around for things that involved clinic type of things, but I was heavy into working on our website and the blog. So I asked, to the surprise of many, if I could tag along and take pictures of the operation. To my surprise they said yes.

I remember it like it was yesterday (with the help of old blog post and pictures) but the operation went fairly well with good expectations of the outcome. He was in the clinic for a few more weeks and the his wing wrap was removed and all looked good at the time. After he was monitored for a while longer he was transfered to the flight center so he could get more exercise for a possible release.

From there things took a turn. He was flying but he wasn't flying well. After observing him for a while, we determined he was flying sort of sideways. So he was brought back to the clinic for another thorough exam.

During this exam it was discovered that his wing hadn't healed properly. Somewheres along the way the bone slipped on the pin so his wing set a little off degree. This is something you can't operate on. Their wings can't be re-broken and reset. We took him back to the flight center to be observed some more. We decided that he was non-releasable. He can fly, but because of his new handicap he can't hunt well. He would probably starve.

From there He went to Cindy's (Director of Avian Care) house for her to evaluate him for possible being an education bird. He was working out well, so permits were applied for and approved. From there he was put up to be applied for by a Bird TLC volunteer to caretake, train and present.

The guy who back in 2004 that would tell his wife to go do her bird thing at TLC applied for the snowy owl. With the application I had to submit plans for the mew I would build for him to live in. The mew designs had to be approved by U.S.F.&W., the Bird TLC Education Committee and Cindy. I was approved and so was the mew. I had to build it before snow flew. I worked day and night and finished it 3 days before it snowed.

Cindy became my mentor with training with Ghost and I couldn't of had a better one. Then he came to live in his new mew on Nov 4, 2006. The training continued, some was a little challenging. On March 30th we

got checked off and had our first presentation with Cub Scout Pack 11.

Since then Ghost and I have done 108 presentations around the state. From Prudhoe Bay to Homer, for schools, private organizations and many other events. He has a new trainee. Beki started working with him last week and she's coming along fine. He is a seasoned professional at representing snowy owls and Bird TLC. It's been a blast and I feel very lucky to be working / living with him.

Happy Anniversary Ghost and many thanks to our friends who have supported us.

Birds have friends at the Loussac Library

Ghost and I had the pleasure of going to the Loussac Library last week. The Friends of the Library posted a bounty for kids to read. Once they had reached their goal, anything more than that was donated to Bird TLC. These young readers helped raise $390 for Bird TLC.

Many thanks to the readers, Friends of the Library and Theresa who took the pictures. It's help like this that makes Bird TLC what it is today.

The swan that didn't go home

Today was scheduled to be a boring day at home doing chores and all of that fun stuff. I have just started feeling better after being sick for about a week (if you couldn't tell from the lack of posting). I slept in until almost 10AM which is highly unusual for me. Sleeping in usually mean 7AM max if I'm lucky.

I got one cup of Maxwell House down when I got a call from Rachel at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center outside of Portage. There were reports of an injured swan sitting on the side of the road about a mile south of AWCC. At first I was a little leery about responding. I was just starting to feel better, I've been on wild goose (swan) chases before and this was an hour drive away, and if I found him it was a two person job to catch him. I told her I was going to call U.S.F.&W.

I called U.S.F.&W. and got a message machine. Rachel called back and gave me a little better location of the bird and says she's getting all kinds of reports on it. There's only her and one other person working today, so they can't respond. I called Megan who usually could help me out but I knew she couldn't today. Bird TLC was at an event for Trick or Treat Town and so were most of our volunteers.

Megan suggested that I call Beki. Beki is a relatively new clinic volunteer who also wants to become a presenter. We've been to a couple events together. So I called her and she was excited about getting to go.

We met up at Bird TLC and loaded up with blankets, a kennel and bird drugs. Off we headed to Portage. When we arrived we drove along side of the highway looking for our swan. There was no luck the first pass or on the drive back. I called Rachel to see if there was any updates and she said no. We decided to do another pass but slower. When we started our search again, a van pulled over and asked if we were looking for a swan. We told him we were and he said he was also but having no luck.

We started our search again and withing 20 feet Beki spotted our swan. The 3 of us put a plan of action together and caught the guy. He's a big one, 9.575 KG. Have I told you it was +27°f and then minus whatever the windchill was? It was cold! We checked in with Rachel at AWCC and thanked her for calling him in. Then we headed back to Anchorage.

There was no significant finds during his first exam, but we'll have a DVM check him out on Monday. In the meantime it's R&R, fresh food and a warm mew.

Volunteer Orientation

We have a Volunteer Orientation about once every October. It's aimed mainly at volunteers who are interested in presenting the Bird TLC Education Birds. A lot of people see us out in the public presenting these birds, but they don't realize what all is involved. So they get to spend about 6 hours getting a thorough orientation tell them all the good and bad things involved.

Each of our Ed Birds are required by U.S.F.&W.to be shown at 12 presentations per year. Bird TLC requires every Education Presenter to present 12 times a year. Each bird could have several presenters, but most have just one. Last year Ghost and I did 60 presentations together. It would be nice to have another presenter checked off on him to help carry the load.

Each presenter in training is mentored by another presenter that has been checked off on that species and has some good presenting experience and bird handling under their belt. I was mentored by Cindy and after 2 years of presenting Ghost, she still gives me some good pointers.

Depending on the person and the bird, it usually takes 3 to 6 months before they are ready to be checked off as a presenter. Large raptors like eagles could take longer. Bird TLC requires eagle presenters in training to take and pass the Alaska Falconry Exam.


Expenses will include buying your own glove, transportation expenses, and leashes. Some presenters help the presenter / caretaker pay for food for the bird, but that is up to the individuals.

Dedication is the key. It all looks like fun and it is, but first the person must be trained with bird handling and the background of the species being presented.

Good luck everyone and I hope to see you presenting soon!

Photo Credit: Dick Williams / Bird TLC

Bye - Bye BE 07-34

BE 07-34 came to Bird TLC early last year with a bone density issue. He wasn't eating properly and he couldn't fly. After some long term R&R at TLC with a proper diet, he became very aggressive around feeding time. We decided it was time for him to go back on his own.

Bird Point was selected along Turnagain Arm. The salmon are still in the area some and it gives a food source. It's nice for these guys to have the best day and night possible for the first one out. It's also nice for them to have a little easy food source at first also.

When we got to Bird Point, it was raining and had high wind gust. So we decided to move towards Girdwood and a little inland from the Arm. Our little caravan of volunteers agreed and most of them followed us to find a good release spot.

We found one in Girdwood. It was still raining, but hardly any wind. We were interrupted for a short bit by a dog that insisted we play fetch with him first. I guess new players is better than listening to the owner, so we played for a bit and then the owner recovered the ball and off they went.

Our bird came out fast. He headed towards the trees to settle down and figure out where he was. It's been over a year since he came to TLC and has some adjusting to do, but we think he'll do just fine.

Photo Credit: Photo's #2 & 3 by Dick Williams / Bird TLC

Photo #1 by Dave Dorsey / Bird TLC

Megan checks off

Bird TLC's Events Coordinator, Megan Pool checked off on the Northern Goshawk yesterday. She did a very good job and will make an excellent education presenter.

To get checked off, Megan must do a presentation in front of her peers and have at least 1 member of the Education Committee in attendance. She must show that she can handle the bird and tell us about its species. When she's done she also must answer questions from the audience.

Megan did all that. Now she must do 2 presentations observed by another presenter and then she's on her own.

Congratulations Megan!

For more pictures. click here.

Memorial release for Fran Reed

Several dozen friends of Fran Reed turned out at the Bird TLC property on 9/27 for a memorial release of a rehabilitated eagle back to the wild. As I walked through the crowd I could here many stories being told about Fran.

The weather was perfect. The rain that had been coming down stopped for a day. The leaves were in their full fall colors and we even had an eagle do a fly by checking things out.

The eagle that was released was in a hurry to get back to business. She left the release box and headed for Potters Marsh non-stop.

The crowd stayed around for a while afterwards and enjoyed apple cider, snacks and a few more stories. It was a beautiful day for a release and a beautiful memorial.


For more on Fran Reed in the ADN, click here.

A Request from Megan

Mt. Ash Berries needed!

Now is a good time to start collecting and harvesting the Mountain Ash berries for our feathered friends this coming winter, especially the wax wings. And last winter I believe that we ran out of the berries. So if anybody is out and about and wants to pick some and bring them in, we would be much obliged.

Thanks!!!

Megan

How about 2 eagle releases in a weekend?

Our first release was on Saturday at the Bird TLC property. It was a memorial release for Rachel Tolley. Her family and friends all gathered for the release and then her ashes were scattered on the property. The bird released is the one I brought back from Soldotna on my way back from the Kachemak Bay Shore Bird Festival. On its intake exam it bit the heck out of my finger. When we caught it to take it to the release, it bit the heck out of Megans finger.

The next release was Sunday at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward. They got an eagle in while we were caring for the Ocean Beauty eagles. They held onto it until we got some room at our clinic. The bird had developed pox, an avian disease that is very contagious to birds and also can be deadly to the bird.

She recovered and we asked ASLC if they would like to release it. We couldn't have picked a prettier day in Seward for a release.

As our friend Susan at Susan Gets Native says "Releases are the BEST!"

Photo Credit: first picture Britt Coon / Bird TLC

Photo Credit: second picture Dave Dorsey / Bird TLC

New volunteers

From left to right, Cindy, Amy, Erika and Beki. Amy and Beki are fairly new to the clinic at Bird TLC. They both come with some excitement and help fill the gaps in the crews left when some of our other volunteers had to go back to school.

Here they help with Captain Hook, our bald eagle that came to us a a few months ago with a halibut hook stuck in his mouth. He's recovered from that but was reinjured while out at the flight center. We don't know what happened but he has an abscess on his right elbow, probably caused by another birds talon.

Cindy is draining the abscess while Erika shows Amy and Beki how to restrain the feet and head. Once that was done Erika shows them how to hold the bird while Cindy inserts a pill (antibiotic) into the birds mouth. The business ends of an eagle are its talons and beak. They can do lots of damage if they aren't restrained properly.

So far this year we've taken in 72 eagles and each one has had to have been restrained several times for exams and treatment. Some have to be examined or treated this way everyday depending on what they are here for. You holding the talons or head properly not only keeps you from being hurt but also those who are working with you.

I look forward to working with you Amy & Beki and I'm sure the birds are glad you're there also. We have a few other new folks out there that I'll catch up with later on.

Appreciation Potluck & goodbye birdies

We had our Volunteer Appreciation Potluck and Bird Release Party on Saturday at the Bird TLC property. The weather was a little chilly, but other than that it was nice. We had a good turn out and a good time.

We released the young Great Horned Owl that came to us with a broken leg a few months back. He took a few seconds to come out of that kennel, but when he did it was like a bullet. With the attitude he showed us while he was with TLC, he'll do just fine in the wild.

Next we released the Bad Boyz's. These guys came to us with no flight time. They were so young they had trouble standing up. Cindy had me take them to the flight center 2 weeks ago and boy howdy did they catch on.

They were released one at a time. We use a release box to release eagles. It's much safer for the bird and more people get to participate. The first one flew to the bluff and caught a thermal and just glided for a bit. Then he turned around and did a fly by and head across the street out of sight.

We released the next one about 15 minutes later. He came out of the box low and headed to the bluff and caught the same thermal. He glided back and forth for a bit and then flew along side of Potter Marsh out of sight.

Here's hoping the brothers hook up with one another again. They both still have some learning to do, but it wasn't going to be with us at TLC. They needed to do it on their own.

It's great that we got to do this with our volunteers. Like most non-profits, we wouldn't be around if it wasn't for them. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again " Are volunteers are the best!"

Photo Credit: pictures 2 & 3 by Dick Williams / Bird TLC

Photo Credit: pictures 1, 3 & 5 by Dave Dorsey / Bird TLC

More pictures here.

Gov Palin when......

It was a year ago Tuesday that Governor Sarah Palin helped us release 2 rehabilitated bald eagles at the Bird TLC property. It was delayed a day due to bad weather. Cindy called the Governor on her cell and she said she was still wanting to do it, it just had to wait until after they got out of church.

She arrived at the property driving her kids in her Suburban. She got out and grabbed a red hoodie with the Alaskan Grown logo on it and put it on. She made it a point to walk up to everyone and introduce herself. We knew who she was but she seemed like she was just another person. Who knew a year later she would be running for the number 2 seat in the country.

Bird TLC is not a political organization and you won't see me doing political post. But you will see me post about a person. What we saw was a down to earth mom helping out a not for profit organization and showing her kids a really neat event. She didn't arrive with her nose in the air. She seemed like the mom next door.

Volunteer Appreciation Potluck and Bird Release Party!

Volunteer Appreciation Potluck and Bird Release Party!

Bird TLC Property, Saturday at 2pm!

Please bring a dish to share.

We will raffle off the release opportunity for two bald eagles and one great horned owl, and there will be prizes, too.

Bottled water will be provided, but if you want anything else to drink – it’s BYOB (bring your own beverage)!

If you would like to have a seat other than the cement benches, please bring a lawn chair or camping chair.

If you still need bird credits this is a good opportunity to bring your bird out.

Photo Credit: Britt Coon / Bird TLC

Cindy gets new toys

Well, Bird TLC got new to us toys. In the picture you can see Cindy's excitement and how she can hardly wait to put this re-breather to work. There was a whole pile of little things donated by a veterinarian who's office was moving and he cleaned house.

To some people it might be junk or trash, but to us it's updating our older stuff to just old stuff. Hand me down veterinarian equipment keeps us going and our birds have a better chance for survival. We have an average of slightly over a 50% release rate.

And it isn't just the medical equipment that makes a difference. Office equipment and supplies, cleaning equipment and supplies, kennels, blankets, towels and I could go on and on. Here's a link to our wish list that will give you a better idea. The list is at the bottom of the page.

Donating supplies and equipment helps us to better utilize the limited amount of funds we have. We are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit and all of these donations are possibly tax deductible. We aren't tax people, so check with yours.

Speaking of limited amounts of funds, I don't talk about this often on the blog. We have some GREAT organizations and people who donate to us and it's appreciated. But unfortunately, the need for money is getting more and more. On average we admit 50 eagles a year. So far this year we have taken in over 70 eagles. We have also taken in over 480 other types of wild birds, from chickadee's to hawks and owls. We don't just take raptors, we take all wild birds that are native to Alaska or migrate through Alaska.

If you live outside of the Anchorage area and it's not feasible for you to come to our clinic to donate, we would appreciate your financial help online. If you notice on the side bar there's a donation button. You can donate to Bird TLC through PayPal 24/7. You can donate as little as $5 or as much as you would like. You can also order one of our limited edition 20th. Anniversary pins. All proceeds go to the birds.

We know that times are tough right now, we feel it also. If you can't donate, we understand. But if you can, you'll be able to know that your help keeps Bird TLC helping Alaska's wild birds.

Eagle release photo by: Britt Coon/ Bird TLC

Bye Red

9/2/2008

The Red-tailed Hawk release turned out to be quite a show today! At about mile 125 on the Glenn Hwy (just north of the "Hawk Watch" area) I took a dirt road off the main drag, in order to get far away from traffic. I found a great little place in a hilly area where I decided to release him. I opened the kennel door and he sat in the doorway just studying the surroundings for a few minutes, then flew up to the top of a Spruce nearby . Within a minute, a Northern Hawk Owl (one of my personal favorites!) began to dive-bomb him! The hawk seemed to fend him off just fine, but the dive-bombing continued for a good 10 minutes, the Hawk Owl cussing and chattering all the while. He obviously was quite perturbed and twitterpated with the situation - I suspect there were youngsters nearby. As if that wasn't enough, out of the blue a Northern Goshawk swooped down at the Red-tailed! He circled once, then flew directly over my head and checked me out, as if he knew I was the cause of all the commotion.

Anyway, when I left about 15 minutes after releasing the hawk, things had settled down quite a bit, but I could still hear that relentless Hawk Owl chewing the Red-tailed out. Those little Hawk Owls are ornery little cusses, huh?

Sorry for the blurry pictures.......too much excitement to capture it terribly well.

Ellen

This was taken from an email from Ellen, a long time Bird TLC volunteer.

BE 08-55 back to the WILD

Diamond Animal Hospital has been a supporter of Bird TLC for a few years now. Every year Dr. Seba, owner of DAH, buys a table at our auction and gives the tickets to his staff.

One of the perks this year for buying a table was to get a rehabilitated wild bird release. They were lucky this time and we had a bald eagle, BE 08-55, ready for release. As usual for Dr. Seba, he let his staff do the release and they selected Eagle River Nature Center.

Prior to the release we had coffee and donuts. We also got to meet some of the employee's family members. From there we went down the nature trail to an observation deck that looks like it was made for a release. Four people from DAH were picked to open the release box and then we had a picture perfect release.

Thanks to Diamond Animal Hospital for their support of Bird TLC. Without people like them we would be able to do what we do.

Photo Credit: Ginny Smith / Eagle River Nature Center Volunteer

More pictures of the release at http://birdtlc.smugmug.com/gallery/5880575_rXGyT#365377866_QDiJa

The Bad Boyz of Flight C

Cindy had me move the baby eagles from Fairbanks out to the Flight Center on Wednesday afternoon. They are getting bigger and needed to go there to get their exercise. They are at the age where learning to fly and compete is an issue.

We put them in flight C. It has 3 mature eagles that aren't well flighted due to their injuries. These guys can learn from them and compete with the mature birds for food and place. Being flighted, the boys can escape the matures if they need to by going to a higher perch.

I visited with them for a while and the matures seemed to be more curious than anything. I made the boys fly back and forth several times and they do well flying. However, their landings need a lot of work.

These guys will be releasable. The question right now is when. Right now is not the time, but we have winter moving in on us. Our unwritten policy is not to release birds during winter. We really don't want to release birds that are young and inexperienced. We also don't want to keep them over the winter. The longer they are in captivity they are susceptible to injury.

We'll keep you updated.

It's a little snowy

It's not unusual for us to get a bird in and we don't know how it got its injuries. Alaska is the largest state in the union with a population of about 665,000. Our population is smaller than Rhode Island. What I'm getting at is that there's plenty of open space.

This juvenile Snowy Owl came to us from Barrow. We think it's a he because of its size, but we don't know yet. He was found dragging its wing when it walked and obviously couldn't fly. It had several fractures to the right wing.

Dr. Todd Palmatier figures the wing could be saved, but the little guy probably won't get well enough to release. Because of the location and type of break, he decided to go with an external fixitor. If you remember, we used an external fixitor back in July on a Great Horned Owls leg.

Dr. Michael Riddle is a volunteer DVM at TLC also. He came along to observe the operation and assist. The operation took about 1 1/2 hours and we think it went well. We all have our feathers crossed.

We had lots of ER supplies and equipment donated recently, so it was a tight squeeze for the humans in the exam room, but there was plenty of space for this guy. Check out that he still has its immature coloring.


In celebration of our 20 Years of TLC, We have a special pin available. Go to our main webpage at http://www.birdtlc.net/ and you can order yours for $5.00 plus $1.00 s&h or you can save a buck and buy one in person at the Bird TLC Office. Tell them a little Snowy Owl sent you.