Early morning start

This morning I got an early morning start. I had to pick up an animal from the airport that was suppose to arrive at 7:45. Now, in the summer that would have been a pretty late morning start, but as I am generally not to work until close to 9 am in the winter it sure felt like it.

As I was driving to the airport I saw this:

A very beautiful sunrise. These pictures were taken on Airport road as I approached the airport.

I picked up my critter and headed out to the hollow. Once I arrived I put the carrier in the treatment room and would examine after Shona came in. So, in the mean time I feed the rest of the animals, collected up saw-whet #3 and brought him back inside as he has failed to eat outside for a few days. I then proceeded to set up the Indoor Mew for our new arrival. Filling a water pan for drinking. I then found out that the cold water pipe to the Quiet Room had burst! Oh no, not again. I already had to deal with the hot water pipe on my first day back from vacation in December. Luckily, I was able to the the water off fast enough to minimize water flow into the room.

Shona arrived and we checked in the new critter, an adult Bald Eagle. This eagle was sitting by the Nooksack river on a branch, but drooping his left wing. He is skinny!! I did feel some play in the wing, but since the water has to be off to that area of the building I am unable to run radiographs right now. I think we are more concerned with getting some weight put on him before we start to worry about radiographs right now anyway. In the process of doing our normal exam we noticed a few things that were old injuries, an opacity to the right eye and this:

What! He is missing a toe, Digit IV to be precise at phalange b (so c-e are gone). It is very interesting. It healed up very well, so that tells me this bird has done some living in his lifetime.

We had an interview today with a potential candidate for rehab today. And soon I am heading home to prep for a board meeting tonight. So I leave you now.

The end.