zoonosis

On Sunday I had my second Audubon shift at the Wildlife Care Center. The weather was positively miserably; raining steadily, fog creeping up off the ground, a deep chill in the air. Things were slow from the get-go, with view visitors walking the Audubon grounds and very few new intakes for the day.

Luckily, another WCC employee had worn their rain boots that day, so Angela and I were assigned to the hospital. I walked in to see what kind of birds were in the various cages along the wall, and I couldn’t believe it when I saw a giant beaver tail sticking out from behind a towel in one. I could hear him crunching non-stop on a vegetable. I was told that the poor guy was found lying in a puddle in the middle of a road. He was eventually plopped into a large metal sink in the hospital’s back room. They put some water and more food in it so he’d be comfortable and have some room to move around. I wanted to hang out with him for my entire shift, and got to feel his tail and pet him. He was very relaxed and really only focused on eating everything he could get his little claws on. I loved him and wanted to take him home with me.

A little while later, a very large juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was brought in. The bird had flown straight through a plateglass window into someone's garage. Not realizing this, the homeowners let their dog into the garage as they left for a few hours. Fortunately, it didn't seem as though the dog bothered the hawk (probably because the hawk was large, fierce, and very agitated). He was suffering from injuries inflicted by the window glass, including cuts on his talons and a sizeable gash across his throat. Experienced hospital volunteers were able to grasp the hawk safely and apply topical and intravenous medication. They sheathed his tail in a cardboard sleeve so he wouldn't injure those feathers while in captivity and set him up in a big cage to rest and heal up.

I spent some time cleaning the mice tanks. Mice are raised in the hospital and allowed to breed to provide food for the birds. Several of the tanks had tiny little "pinky" babies that are no bigger than a thumb nail. I've been told not to get too attached to these creatures (i.e., naming them). I don't think there's too much danger of that happening.

A couple of the caged birds needed oral medicine administered to them, so I volunteered to get a robin from its temporary home. I was reassured that no work gloves were needed for this task, as a robin can only do minimal damage to human flesh with its beak and feet. What a relief.

I slowly opened the cage door and stuck my hands in. The bird jumped around, squawking like crazy, and I panicked -- yanking my hands back JUST enough for the bird to push past me and jump out of its cage. Good job, Sara. Angela and I chased the robin around the room, as gently as we could, finally getting close enough that I could pick it up. Scary.

Next up was a "ruddy duck." I set my mind to retrieving this plump, unamused little guy without incident. Though he tried to grab me with his flat, rubbery bill, I didn't let him. Ducks sure do feel weird and squishy when you pick them up.

The rest of the day was very slow and uneventful, as the weather continued to be wet and depressing. I watched as Hazel, Ruby, and Jack were weighed and then I headed home to prepare for the week.

hero

And then there was Sunday. I slept in late (top 3 bad habits) and quickly ate my morning Voodoo. Jesse drove me up the road to Audubon for my first day in the Wildlife Care Center (WCC), which would consist of one hour of orientation and four hours of training. I didn’t even feel nervous.

While I was waiting, a man brought in a Cooper’s hawk that had died in transport after crashing, in flight, into a horse. Volunteers determined that the bird was very malnourished, which probably contributed to its death. I met with Deanna, the Volunteer Coordinator, in her office to review the orientation packet (while a sweet dog named Emma barked incessantly). Some of the things I learned are top secret.

We then walked over to the Care Center so Deanna could give me a tour and I could participate in “rounds,” when daily updates are given about animals already in some phase of care and those who will be arriving during the shift. I learned that the duties of WCC volunteers are broken into four main areas, which each individual rotates through on a weekly basis. The four stations are:

Kitchen/Laundry – Preparing meals for the birds (more on that later), doing dishes, and washing many, many, many towels.

Educational Birds – Cleaning the “ed” bird enclosures and feeding them their evening meal. The current ed birds include:

Syd, a Red-tailed Hawk
Ruby, a Turkey Vulture
Julio, a Great Horned Owl
Jack, an American Kestrel
Hazel, a Northern Spotted Owl
Finnegan, a Peregrine Falcon
Aristophanes, a Common Raven

The Mews – These are outdoor enclosures for birds recovering from abandonment or injury. These duties include cleaning the enclosures, preparing and distributing meals, and moving birds around if necessary.

Hospital – This is where the most seriously injured birds are housed indoors. Duties include taking blood, measuring and feeding medicine, setting injured wings, preparing and distributing meals.

Aristophanes

After the tour, I was tossed immediately into work! First, I accompanied a new co-worker, Angela, out to the mews. I watched her enter each enclosure (very carefully, to avoid any escapes) and retrieve any uneaten food from the previous meal and dump out and retrieve water dishes. I then tried this on my own, entering the enclosure housing an annoyed Red-tail Hawk that glared at me, psychically threatening to jump and grab me with its talons, as I went about my job.

Later, I assisted with recording measurements and photographs taken of another Red-tail that is having beak problems. I also learned how to measure out liquid medications and feed them to birds, avoiding the glottis cavity at the back of their throat which leads to air sacs rather than a stomach. I held a Mourning Dove as it was fed candy-pink Amoxicillin and then fed the same medicine to a Robin.

A laminated “menu” resides on a double-door fridge in the kitchen. It sets out daily meals for every category of bird, both in content and amount. I’m not going to go into what their meals consist of. I prepared meals for the birds in the mews and Angela and I went out to divvy them up. Our supervisor then notified us that the two Screech Owls in one of the mews needed to be moved to a different enclosure so that a Barn Owl, which had arrived that day, could be placed there instead.

The supervisor and I each captured one of the Screech Owls and hiked over to their new enclosure. My owl was very small and adorable, and I could feel his tiny heart beating in his chest. I carefully released him into his new home and he flew up to a tall perch and sat staring at me. Angela and I got the travel carrier containing the Barn Owl, and she slowly opened its lid. The Barn Owl came flying out wildly, brushing over our heads in a flurry and finally landing on a perch.

I cleaned out the screened-in duck enclosure with a hose while three of them walked around my feet. We did some final clean up in the Center and it was time to go home. I realized that this is a pretty serious job and a very real commitment. This is going to be fun!