Winter 2005 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We wish to express our heartfelt thanks for your responses to our most recent newsletter.  We are thrilled to have a way to share the news and pictures of our birds and animals with our wonderful supporters. 

In this issue of the Medina Raptor Center newsletter, we want to bring you up to date on what’s been happening over the winter.  It has been an exciting and rewarding year for us – a web site to provide information, recognition from around the world through an album of our pictures, and new volunteers.  We want to prepare you for spring with information on bird nesting habits, when to watch for nestlings and fledglings, and what to do when babies fall from the nest. Of course, we’ll share some of our stories and pictures about the birds in our care.

We want to provide you with information about some of our exciting upcoming Educational Outreach programs such as Buzzard Day at Hinckley and the Shreve Migration Sensation.  We certainly hope that you will be able to join us at one of these programs.

Your continued support makes our mission possible.  Your donation of supplies, money and time is unbelievable.  We operate solely on the generosity of our contributors, the donation of services by skilled veterinarians and the countless hours provided by our volunteers.  Thanks to all of you.  We are making a difference.

Summary of Rehabilitation Activities

We treated over 250 birds and animals during 2004, including 109 raptors.  We had a greater than 70% release rate for our raptor patients. We saw more than 20 cases of West Nile Virus but we were able to treat and release many of these patients.  We treated some birds we don’t usually see, including a King Rail chick, Woodcock, Brown Thrasher, Common Loon, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-Bellied Cuckoo, Horned Lark, and Pileated Woodpecker and Red Necked Grebe. 

Patience was a miracle.  We usually do not name the birds in rehabilitation.  They are not pets, and are not treated as pets.  Once in while we have a bird whose circumstances or personality are so unique that a temporary name is appropriate.  Patience was a Barred Owl that came to us after he was caught in a barbed wire fence.  In trying to free him, the farmer accidently hurt Patience.  The vet told us that “this bird will never fly due to the wing damage.”  After several months of healing and physical therapy, Patience was released on September 1st.

Velvet, a Screech Owl, was another complete surprise.  Velvet came to us with a detached retina and deemed unreleasable.  We worked with her and had found an educational facility with proper permits who would provide her a permanent home.  When we took Velvet to the vet for the final verification that she was unreleasable, we got a shock.  Velvet had reattached her retina.  We brought her home and enrolled her in “mouse school”.  This means that Velvet was given the opportunity to hunt her own prey to ensure that she had the skills necessary to survive in the wild.  After several weeks, Velvet was successfully released.

We had two Great Horned Owls in rehabilitation at the same time.  The two birds were an interesting study in contrasting personalities.  Kentucky came to us with serious and irreversible wing damage.  This bird has a good temperament and is considered a candidate to become an “educational” bird.  We can report that Kentucky is recovering well and loves taking walks with the volunteers.  We are very hopeful that we can transfer Kentucky to the Northern Kentucky University where he will be used in their new outreach raptor program.

Our second Great Horned Owl came in with an infected foot (bumble foot) from a rodent bite.  This large female is one of the most aggressive birds we have ever encountered.  She is an absolute “tiger” in her cage.  We look forward to her recovery so that she can be released into the wild for a new generation of “tigers” in the sky.

Preparing for Spring Releases

We currently have several birds wintering over with us.  In fact, some of the birds could probably be released at this time but we don’t want to turn them out with the possibility of ice or major snow storms.  We have 4 Red Tail Hawks that are ready to return to the wild, along with 3 Barred Owls, 2 Kestrels, 2 Cooper’s Hawks, a Screech Owl, a Great Horned Owl and a Peregrine Falcon.  All the birds are undergoing flight conditioning, attending “mouse school” and experiencing minimal interaction with people.  We look forward to successful releases when the winter weather breaks.

Educational Outreach

Public Appearances and Upcoming Events

This has been another busy year for our “feathered ambassadors”.  We provided more than 80 programs and special tours.  Our busiest ambassador was Lazarus, our Red Tail Hawk, who attended 69 programs or tours and saw more than 26 thousand people.  Among our more interesting programs was the one at F B Sieberling NatureRealm.  Close to 100 people came out to see our feathered friends.  Everyone brought us presents – paper towels, large Ziploc bags and all sorts of cleaning supplies. 

Our “educational staff” consists of three teams:  the Owls (Sierra, Phantom, Eclipse, Bumbles, and Cricket); the Hawks (Lazarus and Orion); and the Others (Matilda the Turkey Vulture and Victory the Peregrine Falcon).  Educational programs and public appearances we have scheduled include:

• Rocky River Nature Center – Raptor Weekend (Feb. 5-6)  The public is invited – hope to see you there with us on Feb. 6th.
• Ella Canovan School Science Fair on Feb. 17th.
• Brunswick Rec Center – Birds of Prey Program (Feb. 26)  The public is invited. 
• Girl Scout Tour on March 12th.
• 4-H Club presentation on March 14th.
• Akron Wild Bird Center Tour on March 16th, call for reservations.
• Hinckley Buzzard Day – March 20th – conducting educational programs at 11:30 and 1:30
• Shreve Migration Sensation April 2nd
• Mapleside Farms Restaurant on April 13th.  10% of the sales that night will be donated to the Raptor Center.  Please join us there.
• North Coast Nature at Rocky River Reservation on April 23 and 24th.
• Medina Family Affair on April 23th.
• Earth Day at Buckeye Park on April 24th.

The fees that we charge for our programs are used to support the costs of our rehabilitation efforts.  Many of the groups we see also provide us with donations of supplies for the rehabilitation center.  If you know of a group that might be interested in a program, please contact us for fees and schedules.

Buzzard Day is Coming

Every year, the buzzards (turkey vultures like Matilda) come home to roost in the rock cliffs and ledges in Hinckley.  The official day of celebration is Sunday March 20th.  We will be at the celebration with Mattie (Matilda) and very special buzzard features.  Last year we were fortunate enough to release two turkey vultures as part of the celebration.

Nature Notes: Focus on the Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vultures range from Canada to the tip of Cape Horn and from the West Coast to the East Coast.  They are classified in the same order as storks and flamingos.  The Turkey Vulture is lacking strength in its talons and it’s beak has neither the shape nor strength to tear into a fresh carcass.  This means that they generally are unable to kill their own prey.  Turkey Vultures are daytime birds and are not accustomed to flying at night.  They find food by sight and by an extremely acute sense of smell.  Their digestive system has the unique ability to kill any virus and bacteria in the food the bird eats.  Turkey Vultures eat carrion, when available – they are the “garbage men” of the skies.  However, the diet is 50% vegetative.

The Turkey Vulture uses projectile vomiting as a defense mechanism.  When threatened or cornered, it may roll over and play dead or project a highly offensive odorous vomit.

The Turkey Vulture is family oriented.  A roost is a group of vultures living together and sleeping at night in a tall tree.  Vultures do not build a nest as such, but simply lay two eggs on hard surfaces.  Some roosts are known to be 100 years or more old used by successive generations..  Turkey vultures can live up to 70 years.

Shreve Migration Sensation – Where You May See a Pair of Nesting Eagles

On Saturday April 2, we will be at the annual Shreve Migration Sensation.  In addition to seeing our feathered friends, you can attend workshops including one conducted by Chad & Chris Saladin on The Peregrine Falcon – Nature’s Most Efficient Flying Machine.  Admission is $10 ($15/Family).  There will be self-guided tours of Killbuck Marsh, Brown’s Bog, Shreve Lake, and Funk Bottoms.  This is an excellent opportunity to see the birds migrating back to Ohio. 

News about Birds

We have asked permission to retain Aspen, a Great Horned Owl as a surrogate bird.  It is important for nestlings and fledglings to be raised by their own species so they can be accepted and know their place in the wild.  We work to ensure that the owlets do not imprint on humans.  An imprinted bird can not survive in the wild and can be a danger to itself and humans.  Imprinted birds lack the proper species recognition when they reach breeding age.

Spring Is In The Air – Nesting Season Begins

The Great Horned Owls are the first raptors to begin nesting each year, followed by the Screech Owls and Saw-Whet Owls.  All the upbringing of the young and the period immediately following their fledgling is timed to coincide with the maximum abundance of prey animals.

In January or February, you will hear the male and female Great Horned Owls hoot to each other.  When they are close, they will bow to each other, with drooped wings.  They do not build a nest of their own but use the nests of other birds such as the hawk, crow or heron.  They may also use squirrel nests, hollows in trees, rocky caves, and clumps of witches broom or abandoned buildings.  They are extremely aggressive when defending the nest and will continue to attack until the intruder is driven off or killed.  During this time, you are more likely to see a Great Horned Owl during the daytime.  While the female is sitting on the nest, the male is responsible for providing all the food for the female and the young birds.  That’s a lot of mouths to feed, so the male will hunt during the day.  Some words of warning, if you are lucky enough to see a Great Horned Owl’s nest, watch it from a safe distance.  They will defend their young, if they feel threatened.

Normally 2-4 eggs are laid and incubated by the female for 26-35 days.  Young start roaming from the nest at 6 to 7 weeks, when they are called “branchers”, but can not fly well until 9 to 10 weeks old.  They are fed for another few weeks as they are slowly weaned.  Families remain loosely associated during summer before young disperse in the autumn.  Adults tend to remain near their breeding areas year-round while juveniles disperse widely, over 150 miles.  Territories are maintained by the same pair for as many as 8 consecutive years; however, these Owls are solitary in nature, only staying with their mate during the nesting season.

Great Horned Owls are long-lived with captive birds living up to 38 years and wild Owls up to 13 years.  Most mortality is related to man.  The only natural enemies are other Great Horned Owls and occasionally, Northern Goshawks.

What to do if you find an “orphaned” owl or other bird of prey?

Most “orphaned” Owls and birds of prey are mistakenly deemed orphaned – they’re actually in the process of testing their wings.  Many young birds lose their footing during the first exploration and fall to the ground.  A grounded chick may look lost and vulnerable, but the chances are its parents know exactly where it is and will continue to feed it.  Many young birds are capable of climbing back into their tree using beaks and talons.

Before doing anything with a deserted chick, you need to check the following things:  Is the chick obviously injured?  If yes, contact a wildlife officer or rehabilitator immediately.  Is the chick in immediate danger from vehicles, people or predators?  If yes, put the chick in the branches of the nearest tree and leave the area.  If the chick is not injured and is not in danger, then walk away and let the parents take over.  The ONLY time to remove a bird from the area is if you are positive that it has been abandoned or if it is clearly injured.  Seek expert advice immediately and do not attempt to treat or feed the bird yourself.  It is too easy to imprint a youngster on humans and there is no quicker way of doing this than hand-feeding.

Red Tail Hawk Mating and Nesting

Red Tail Hawks mate for life but they stay together only during the nesting and rearing of young.  One of the more famous stories of Red Tail Hawk mating is Pale Male, the bird who lost his nest on a New York City building.  His mate and he watched the building from Central Park until the nest was restored.  We are happy to report that Pale Male and his mate are once again happy in their usual nesting spot.

The birds arrive in pairs at their breeding grounds in early spring.  The mating and nest building begins in March and continues through May.  They provide spectacular aerial displays of both male and female soaring in circles to great heights, crossing and re-crossing each other’s paths, sometimes almost touching.  Then they fold their wings and plummet to treetop level, repeating this display as much as five or six times.

Nests are located from 35 to 75 feet high in forks of large trees.  The nest is large, flat, shallow and made of sticks and twigs.  Both male and female assist in nest construction.  Nest sites may be used from year to year to year.  Layers of new nesting material are added each year to repair damage.

The female usually lays 2 dull-white to bluish-white eggs that are marked with irregular reddish spots and splotches.  Incubation takes 28-32 days and is maintained almost entirely by the female.  During this period, the male hunts for both of them, bringing her food to the nest.

When hatched, the young are covered in white down.  They grow quickly and require much food, which keeps both parents busy.  They remain in the nest for up to 48 days.  During the last 10 days or so the young, which are now as large as the parent birds, practice flapping their wings and balancing in the wind on the edge of the nest, preparing for the days when they will launch themselves into the air.

The young fledge at about 45 days so that they are ready to fly for the winter.  Red Tails can live up to 20 years but only 25% of Red Tails survive their first year.  Then only 1 out of 10 birds survive long enough to gain it’s red tail in the third year.  Their only natural predators are an occasional Northern Goshawk or Great Horned Owl.  Their primary predator is humans with loss of habitat, pesticides, and other human contact such as being hit by cars.

What Can I Do About This Big Bird in My Backyard

First of all, stop and say thanks that you are fortunate to see these wild birds.  The West Nile virus seriously affected the Red Tail Hawk and Great Horned Owl populations.  These wonderful birds are just starting to recover.  So for you to have a wild bird as a neighbor is an absolute treat.  You can be assured that your new neighbor will decrease the rodent population – all the way from mice and rats up to skunks, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits.  Enjoy your visits from your new neighbor.

As with any neighbors, respect the boundaries.  Don’t attempt to feed any birds of prey – they are quite good at finding their own food.  Don’t be nosy and go near the nest while there are eggs or young birds.  Watch safely from a distance with binoculars.  If you have small dogs or cats, don’t let them out in the yard alone.  A Red Tail Hawk or Great Horned Owl doesn’t understand the difference between a small dog, a cat or a rabbit.

Our Volunteers

We want to say a special thank you to Carl Ashley’s Scout Troup.  The boys spent a day at the center cleaning and organizing the area, getting rid of all the branches that had fallen in the fall storms.

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