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No water, an Eagle hit by a semi and record heat temps
13 years ago
First... Colorado should NOT BE UP TO OVER 90F DEGREES IN THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY!
What the heck.
Where was the snow?
What's with the lack of rain.
WHY IS THERE AUGUST WEATHER!
Please let this "cold front" coming bring us rain. Or at least temps under 80. o.o
--
So today the high at the center was 94.
Recently it was decided the center's facilities should get more attention by the powers that be (most the maintenance is usually done by myself, my boss or the volunteers and we don't have time for gardens).
We had no water all day. Apparently the lack of water pressure we had all been use to became NO WATER AT ALL when they tried starting up the old defunct sprinklers for the new gardens we're getting donated by Eagle scouts.
So we spent all day in record high temperatures with no water while they dug up and gave us an entirely new waterline.
Needless to say myself and the birds were displeased. I at least had my boss and a volunteer in the morning but after lunch I spent my usual Saturday ritual of working alone. I apologized to the birds multiple times because I could not soak their cages with cold water from the hose.
I fed everyone larger meals today, I doubt they'll all eat because they were too hot.
We all made it through the horrid swelter though I'm kinda grumpy this evening.
--
So now you all probably wonder by it says something about an Eagle being hit by a semi in the title.
Well yesterday I'm working with a volunteer who I believe is Wonder Woman after she retired.
She claims to be a retired art teacher but really... she's in her 70s and can do almost anything, even with a fake knee.. but she isn't really part of the Eagle's story.
So I get a call about an hour and a half before we close from one of the states wildlife officers. He's heading into the mountains to pick up an injured Golden Eagle and asked if an hour later I could meet him about 35 minutes from the center to transfer the Eagle to my care.
Of course I would. So I left Wonder Woman to close the center for me while I headed out to get this bird.
What I take out of the crate to put into one of our crates in the center's van is barely a Eagle.
He's bleeding from his nares (nose) and is obviously in shock and panting heavily.
I drive the half hour back to the center and bring the bird into ICU.
He's still panting heavily but the bleeding from his nares had calmed down and there were no other obvious wounds.
Alone there was nothing I could do for him, he needed to really just be left alone for the night with hopes he survived it. I made him a nest out of towels and laid him down in it so he'd be comfortable. He was sleeping and still breathing heavily when I left work last night.
I didn't expect to come back to a live Eagle let alone what I saw when I walked into ICU this morning.
My boss is in but she's frantically giving all the rodents water before they shut the water off for the day and they all go thirsty so she asks me to make sure the ICU birds are all ok.
I look in the Eagle box (giant cage in ICU for eagles) and the Eagle is standing up and and looking at me. All you hear out of ICU is "HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE ALIVE!"
So we pull him out of the cage and my boss holds him while I feel for any wounds.
I feel first for the common breaks, wings and legs.
No broken wings, no broken legs... No broken bones.
He's bruised and has some internal injuries (which may or may not kill him it's just a wait and see thing) but he's alert, nothing is broken and he was trying to defend himself. He was a strong bird, his muscles were amazing and wow is he beautiful!
We're going to keep him in ICU a few days, if the internal injuries and his bruises don't hinder him we'll take him home ad release him back where he was hit. He probably has a female and chicks somewhere who need him home as soon as we can get him there.
Hope for the best and wish him good luck.
For a bird who got hit by a semi-truck to survive is amazing, that nothing is broken is a miracle... if we can get him back to the wild in under a month would be nothing short of nature's spirit giving him the power to get home.
What the heck.
Where was the snow?
What's with the lack of rain.
WHY IS THERE AUGUST WEATHER!
Please let this "cold front" coming bring us rain. Or at least temps under 80. o.o
--
So today the high at the center was 94.
Recently it was decided the center's facilities should get more attention by the powers that be (most the maintenance is usually done by myself, my boss or the volunteers and we don't have time for gardens).
We had no water all day. Apparently the lack of water pressure we had all been use to became NO WATER AT ALL when they tried starting up the old defunct sprinklers for the new gardens we're getting donated by Eagle scouts.
So we spent all day in record high temperatures with no water while they dug up and gave us an entirely new waterline.
Needless to say myself and the birds were displeased. I at least had my boss and a volunteer in the morning but after lunch I spent my usual Saturday ritual of working alone. I apologized to the birds multiple times because I could not soak their cages with cold water from the hose.
I fed everyone larger meals today, I doubt they'll all eat because they were too hot.
We all made it through the horrid swelter though I'm kinda grumpy this evening.
--
So now you all probably wonder by it says something about an Eagle being hit by a semi in the title.
Well yesterday I'm working with a volunteer who I believe is Wonder Woman after she retired.
She claims to be a retired art teacher but really... she's in her 70s and can do almost anything, even with a fake knee.. but she isn't really part of the Eagle's story.
So I get a call about an hour and a half before we close from one of the states wildlife officers. He's heading into the mountains to pick up an injured Golden Eagle and asked if an hour later I could meet him about 35 minutes from the center to transfer the Eagle to my care.
Of course I would. So I left Wonder Woman to close the center for me while I headed out to get this bird.
What I take out of the crate to put into one of our crates in the center's van is barely a Eagle.
He's bleeding from his nares (nose) and is obviously in shock and panting heavily.
I drive the half hour back to the center and bring the bird into ICU.
He's still panting heavily but the bleeding from his nares had calmed down and there were no other obvious wounds.
Alone there was nothing I could do for him, he needed to really just be left alone for the night with hopes he survived it. I made him a nest out of towels and laid him down in it so he'd be comfortable. He was sleeping and still breathing heavily when I left work last night.
I didn't expect to come back to a live Eagle let alone what I saw when I walked into ICU this morning.
My boss is in but she's frantically giving all the rodents water before they shut the water off for the day and they all go thirsty so she asks me to make sure the ICU birds are all ok.
I look in the Eagle box (giant cage in ICU for eagles) and the Eagle is standing up and and looking at me. All you hear out of ICU is "HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE ALIVE!"
So we pull him out of the cage and my boss holds him while I feel for any wounds.
I feel first for the common breaks, wings and legs.
No broken wings, no broken legs... No broken bones.
He's bruised and has some internal injuries (which may or may not kill him it's just a wait and see thing) but he's alert, nothing is broken and he was trying to defend himself. He was a strong bird, his muscles were amazing and wow is he beautiful!
We're going to keep him in ICU a few days, if the internal injuries and his bruises don't hinder him we'll take him home ad release him back where he was hit. He probably has a female and chicks somewhere who need him home as soon as we can get him there.
Hope for the best and wish him good luck.
For a bird who got hit by a semi-truck to survive is amazing, that nothing is broken is a miracle... if we can get him back to the wild in under a month would be nothing short of nature's spirit giving him the power to get home.
I wait with the sicker birds before taking a lot of pictures of them.