So we have definitely slowed down at work. Which is nice, but it also means a lot of meetings to go over how the summer was and things we need to do, fix, and prep for next year. It is hard to believe that we have to already start prepping for March now, but it will creep up on us. Especially with staff members taking their vacations, holidays, conferences all coming up quickly.
Because of that I only have a few pictures to add from work. Here is what we currently have in house. Birds 5 Mammals 7 Total 12
Bald Eagle Juvenile, weak and thin (Anacortes),
Great Horned Owl *Adult, wing injury, tangled in soccer net (Whidbey)
Saw Whet Owl Adult, wing injury, cause unknown (Sedro Woolley)
Turkey Vulture Adult, weak, thin, missing feathers (Orcas)
Dark Eyed Junco *Adult, wing injury, HBC (
Douglas Squirrel 1 juvenile, weak, broken leg, fell from nest (
Harbor Seal 1 pup, O/S (San Juan)
That is right, only a few things left like I said. The coons were released earlier this week when we had a short break in the weather. The Douglas squirrel and harbor seal are just about ready to be sent on their happy way, once our weather finally breaks. The Great horned owl will be leaving at the end of the month when the volunteer who sent it to us is back for the release. And the fawns as well will hopefully be going at the end of the month once the modern firearm hunting season is over.
We are getting into winter raptor season, so that means the adults are coming in. The other big thing, the Swans have returned! That is right Trumpeter swans are back in the area and we have already received many calls already. Especially with the weather, which I will explain in a few minutes after the pictures. We don't have any in house yet, but I feel it will only be a matter of time. Okay onto pictures.
Wedgemussel on the latest release on 11/13/09.
Our brave little soldier, okay Douglas squirrel. he came to us with a broken femur after falling 20 feet out the nest as a little guy. All healed and hanging out until the weather clears.
I don't think I have shared a photo yet. This is the turkey vulture, came to us from Orcas Island. Poor thing is missing a lot of wing flight feathers and feathers on his/her back. We don't know what caused this, but it meant that s/he couldn't make the migration when the rest left. So we will be wintering this critter.
Our little Saw-whet, is actually getting quite close to release as well. Today s/he got live prey to see how well s/he hunts. We put the the motion sensor video camera in facing towards the container with the mouse in it so hopefully we get some good footage. If so, then off to the wild it will be!
The next great horned owl ready to go. This one like the last was caught in some netting (this one, a soccer goal) Goaaaaalll!!!Okay that is it for critters and I don't have any personal photos to share this time. I went home to Seattle last weekend to hang out with friends and my brother. I got to see some cool things in the back yard. A late season juvi grey squirrel picking up berries, a Douglas squirrel doing the same, many Stellar Jays, a black capped chickadee, and of course many juncos (the only one of those I get to see in the wild on the island is the juncos)! It was great to see the kind of critters I care for in the "wild."
The weather has been atrocious so I have hunkered down in my apartment for a couple of weeks. The wind has been very strong gusts up to 60 mph on many days. Causing horizontal rains! Cold, pounding, painful rain :( So now you can see why the releases haven't been happening. It isn't fair to throw them out in the adverse weather.
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