Carolina Raptor Center Rehab Blog

2019 YEAR IN REVIEW for CAROLINA RAPTOR CENTER REHABILITATION

We admitted 903 patients, including our 23,000th!

This included 141 nestlings, many of which were re-nested.  

For most species, the numbers admitted were on average with previous years: 211 Barred Owls, 173 Red-shouldered Hawks, 168 Red-tailed Hawks, 57 Great-horned Owls, 74 Cooper’s Hawks, 36 Eastern screech Owls, 32 Broad-winged Hawks, 27 Turkey Vultures, 7 American kestrels, 6 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Peregrine Falcons, and 3 Mississippi Kites.

And then there were some that were lower than average: 1 Barn Owl (average is around 10-12) and 9 Osprey (average is 15-20).

But then there were those that were drastically higher: 71 Black vultures – highest ever (about 58% increase) and 12 Bald Eagles (almost 100% increase from average, but we did admit 17 in 2011).

Overall, it was the “Year of the Black Vulture”.  

And finally, the highlight was releasing 297 patients back into the wild.  

Thank you for the continued support - we couldn’t do what we do without it. 

It’s the end of an era.  The passing of a legend.  Last night we lost our Great horned owl surrogate mother, Betbait.  

Betbait was admitted to CRC’s Medical Center as an nestling in 1985.  She was released and then readmitted a few weeks later suffering from emaciation.  She was kept on as a resident and lived on the public display trail until 2015.  She was then transferred to rehab to be a full-time (part-time) surrogate mother to the nestlings admitted into the Medical Center. 

In her lifetime, she raised 26 of her own young - all of which were released - and 171 nestlings as a surrogate mother.  She was a force and the perfect role model.  Many little Betbaits are sprinkled throughout the Piedmont region.

She will be missed.  Thank you for your service, Betbait.  

Believe it or not, this is the third hawk that we have admitted this year after being found trapped in a crepe myrtle.  

We aren’t completely sure what is going on - is there something at the base that the birds are trying to get and then they get trapped? Do they fall from above and then get trapped?  Or maybe it is an epidemic of predatory crepe myrtles?  Regardless, the other two birds have been released and this one should be okay as well.  

No better way to start the weekend than with a group vulture release!

The Mississippi kite nestling that we re-nested is now a fledgling!  

And then he/she came back to the platform for a little snack....

Mississippi Kite Re-Nesting

We admitted a juvenile Mississippi Kite on Sunday AM that fell from its nest in south Mecklenburg County.  Our expert re-nesting team, Deborah and Patrick Roy, took it upon themselves to get this bird back with its parents.  

On Sunday afternoon, they were unable to locate the exact location of the nest but were able to lure the parents back to the area with recordings of the baby’s calls.  They built and installed a platform close to where the baby was originally found.  Once the baby was on the platform, the parents were absent.  Because it was late in the day, they decided to take the baby and retry the next morning.   On Monday, after almost 9 hours of waiting, a parent came to the platform!  

Thanks to the persistence of the Roys, all is well in MIKI-land. Thank you!

Just a little snapshot of the 101 nestlings and fledglings that we have admitted this year so far.  Pictured in order of size - large to small!

Nestlings 2019

More re-nesting fun.  Good things are happening every day!

One little guy got a new nest platform - the other got a new family!

Patient #22329, Great Horned Owl Fledgling 

Fracture repairs in babies can be tricky but like with the adults, they are also very rewarding.

We admitted a Great Horned Owl fledgling on Saturday morning with ulna and radius fractures of the right wing.  After a little effort, we were able to break down some of the scarring that had already formed (babies heal fast!) and repair the radius fracture this morning.  These types of injuries typically require both the ulna and radius to be repaired but with young raptors we have a little more flexibility.  The wing is straight, meaning the ulna is more aligned - and because they heal so quickly, it should not be an issue. 

Thanks to Dr. Scott, the bird now has a chance of a long, full life in the wild!  

To support the patient’s care and to follow it’s progress, click here. 

First Barred Owl Re-nesting of 2019!

Patient #22318 returned to its nest site this morning.  A sibling was waiting with some food that the parents had dropped off. 

The last photo - an even younger Barred Owl, patient #22321 - will be re-nested tomorrow.  

Here is a clip of the trail cam footage from last night - one parent is feeding at the new nest platform.  Listen to the food begging!  Hungry babies!

Successful Great Horned Owl Re-nesting

(times two!!! one came from the nest and then we added another “orphaned” nestling)  

The trail cam showed a parent feeding two of the babies on the nest platform. It’s nice to see some proof that they have accepted the new nest site.  

Thanks to PATRICK and DEBORAH ROY for making this happen.

Our 34 year-old surrogate mother, Betbait, is on duty!  Two Great horned owl nestlings are being raised by the best.

A 25+ year band return!

This morning we got a reminder of why we band birds that are released -  and it made me so excited that I was sweating.  

We admitted a barred owl that was a previous patient from 1993.  The bird was found less than 2 miles from where it was released over 25 years ago.  That’s serious rodent control for that area.  In 1993, she (we confirmed it’s a female) was trapped in a chimney and diagnosed with corneal abrasions, minor soft tissue wounds and feather damage.  This time around the injuries were more severe and unfortunately fatal, but the bird was able to live a long and prosperous life.  This should make the record books for the Bird Banding Lab as the oldest banded barred owl ever recovered.  But most importantly, she had the potential to produce 50+ babies.  

Do you know if you have wildlife near your house?  Have you started hearing any odd vocalizations outside during the night? Maybe something like a “siren call” or a “wail” or even, our favorite, an entertaining “monkey call.”   Or maybe you have just noticed an increase in the frequency of the standard “who cooks for you”?  Or even better, a pair of these sounds echoing each other?  It’s nesting season for the barred owls and this means you’ll probably be hearing a lot more of their extraordinary voices. They are the most common owl species in our area and also the most vocal.  Nesting behavior typically starts in December, so listen for them as they start to pair up.  They are territorial year round but things start to heat up when babies are involved.

The photos above are from a recent release.  This bird was admitted after being seen struck by a vehicle. Luckily, we did not find any injuries. After being monitored and tested in a flight cage, the bird was released a week later where it was found.  In most situations, we work hard to get them back to their territories but even more so this time of year.  I’m sure when this bird returned home, its mate was close-by and got to hear ALL about the adventure that just occurred.

Total patients admitted: 885 

Total patients released: 270

Release rate of releasable birds (those surviving the first 24 hours): 71%

Average days in rehab: 40

This past year was considered a success thanks to our FANTASTIC team of volunteers, donors, and those people that happened to see an injured raptor and decided it was time to help.  THANK YOU!  

Looking forward to good things to come in 2019, including...

We have reached another milestone!  CRC Rehab admitted its 22,000th patient over the weekend! 

Patient #22,000 is a red-phase, hatching year Eastern screech owl from Thomasville, NC.  It is being treated for severe eye trauma, including a collapsed globe that will most likely require evisceration.  

Follow his progress here.  

This black vulture (patient #21988) was admitted on Sunday evening with an horribly unstable left leg fracture.  But thanks to Dr. Scott, the bird has a straight (and stable) tibiotarsus that is well on its way to healing.

We aren’t certain of the injury cause, but considering the bird was found near a road, it was probably hit by a car.  Being the highway clean-up crew is a dangerous job - especially for an inexperienced juvenile black vulture!

CHECK OUT DR. SCOTT’S NEW BOOK!

It is a layer by layer dissection of a red-tailed hawk. Perfect for anybody that does avian orthopedics.  Or just your average raptor enthusiast.  

You can find it on Blurb here.