We All Need Hope!

10/29/2016

Hope was shot near Summer Lake. She has a broken wing and had 4 hours of orthopedic surgery last Tues (25th). She now has 6 weeks of rehabilitation and recovery ahead of her. Care of Hope and her rehabilitation will involve physical therapy a couple times a week, bandage changes, medications twice a day, a diversity of food, and specialized housing that protects her keel, feet, and the waterproofing of her plumage.

Hope is a Trumpeter Swan, which were on the endangered species list for decades. Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife has worked for 20 years to get Trumpeters nesting and breeding again here in Oregon. Hope is the first bird born in Summer Lake to have been from a completely wild pair of birds. Her injury is particularly tragic for this reason. And ODFW, Native Bird Care, and her Drs are doing all they possibly can to save Hope.

Her primary doctor is Dr. Cassie Lodge of Broken Top Vet. Elise has a lot of waterbird training, but for specific swan information she goes to Renee Schott, a swan specialist at Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of MN. The orthopedic surgeon and team at Oregon Veterinary Referral Associates in Springfield, OR took Hope on for her surgery. Without all these folks help, Hope would have had, well no hope.

The hardest part of waterbird rehabilitation is preventing captivity related injuries that come from not swimming, sitting, and atrophy. This is particularly true for very large, heavy birds that spend most of their time on the water. These injuries can include skin sores on the bird's chest, sores on the bottom of the feet, and loss of waterproofing from not preening. Water is key.

At some point, we aim to get Hope a pool so that she can actually swim and get off her feet. We do this for loons and grebes now.

Enjoy these pictures and I will blog on Hope again soon.

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Author: Elise Wolf

I have fascinated by wild birds my whole life. I finally got involved in avian rescue when it became clear that while we need to do all we can to save habitat and ecological systems, for many populations of birds, every single bird matters. And thus, saving them one at a time is increasingly important.

This was no clearer than when I raised 4 long-billed curlews. Three of my patients made it to release. In contrast, there were no surviving fledglings at the end of the season for a researcher studying curlew breeding success on three plots in Oregon and Washington.

The rehabilitation needs of song, shore, and water birds is often underestimated and handling these birds can be tricky; they all require specialized training.

I wanted this blog to be about these birds. To share with the public how interesting, beautiful, and unique they are. And at the same time, I want to share just what it takes to get these birds to a state where they are healthy, have excellent flight ability, and are in a condition safe for release.

There are so many of these phenomenal and beautiful winged jewels on our planet, whom we often take for granted. Most impacts to birds are human related or caused, from windows to habitat loss to climate changes to cat depredation. One third of our bird species in NA are in peril, by 2050 if not sooner it will be 50%. It will truly be a planetary loss as their extinctions continue to increase.

There is so much we can all do. Please enjoy my blog as I write about the birds I get in care, plus others and how we can enjoy their beauty, appreciate their plights, and help them meet their life goals of love, community, happiness, and family.

We All Need Hope!

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Author: Elise Wolf

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