Medina Raptor Center News

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December 2011:

Winter Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Winter Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

August 2011:

Summer Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Summer 2011 Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

On Mended Wing:

A sucesss story at Medina Raptor Center was recently the feature of an article by Rita Boyd in Farm and Dairy. Click here to download the article. (.pdf) (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). Article reprinted with permission from Farm and Dairy (http://www.farmanddairy.com/).

Purple Gallinule:

MRC played host to a rare bird, at least for this part of the country! Severe storms blew a Purple Gallinule from the Texas Gulf area up to the Cleveland area. It was found and brought to MRC to recover and was later released to a wetland habitat to finish 'bulking up' for its migration back down south. Besides it's astonishing coloration, this is a bird with VERY big feet, which it uses to walk across the marsh & tidal wetland plants to find its food.

Pictured above: Purple Gallinule at Medina Raptor Center.

Interns:

Summer is ending, and our 2011 interns are getting ready to head back to classes at Hiram College and their work at the wildlife field station on campus. Lynette Neldon was our intern for the first half of the summer, and Caleb Lemmo was our intern for the second half of the summer. Each of them brought unique insights & their own special 'touch' with both the patients and the resident birds at the Center. As part of their internship, they will both be giving presentations at the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association state convention this November in Columbus! We wish them all the best for their presentations, and in their future endeavors! 

Pictured above: MRC Intern Caleb Lemmo

Pictured above: MRC Intern Lynette Neldon

Pepsi "Refresh" Contest:

Thanks to the loyal support of voters during the Pepsi "Refresh" contest in 2010, MRC won funding to put towards replacing our original and very small hospital building. This space is now used as overflow during our busiest times and to store additional supplies we need for our patients who are rehabbing in outdoor cages. The old, worn out building was demolished and the new cement footers & floor are being poured in the next few days. We're excited and can't wait to see the finished product!

Summer News and Photos:

Medina Raptor Center has been busy as always. Below are pictures of some animals at MRC and also a couple pictures of recent releases of a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Barred Owl after being successfully rehabilitated:

Pictured above: a pair of Barred Owlets at Medina Raptor Center.

Pictured above: a young Opposum being fed while being rehabilitated at Medina Raptor Center.

Pictured above: a young Blue Jay at Medina Raptor Center.

Pictured above: a Barred Owl being released after being rehabilitated at Medina Raptor Center.

Pictured above: a Red-shouldered Hawk being released after being rehabilitated at Medina Raptor Center.

March 2011:

Spring Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Spring 2011 Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

February 2011:

Peregrine Falcon Release:

Medina Raptor Center released a Peregrine Falcon named "Ranger" back into the wild after several months of successful rehabilitation! Pictures of the release are shown below:

Eagle Program:

Medina Raptor Center's resident Bald Eagle "Migisi" was the center of attention at an Eagle program recently held at Rocky River Nature Center. A few photos from the event are shown below:

January 2011:

Medina Raptor Center has been busy as always rehabilitating wildlife! Below are some pictures of our current patients:

Pictred above: Red-tailed Hawks getting ready to be released in March.

November 2010:

Fall Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Fall 2010 Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Facebook:

Medina Raptor Center is now on Facebook! Visit our Facebook page for pictures, videos, news and more!

Click the image below to visit our facebook page:

October 2010:

Summer Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Summer 2010 Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

September 2010:

Medina Raptor Center has made more successful releases! Below are pictures of the releases of a Great Horned Owl, a Cooper's Hawk, a Green Heron, and a Red-shouldered Hawk!

Pictured above:Green Heron released from Medina Raptor Center. September 2010.

Pictured above: Great Horned Owl released from Medina Raptor Center. September 2010.

Pictured above: Cooper's Hawk released from Medina Raptor Center. September 2010.

Pictured above: Red-shouldered Hawk released from Medina Raptor Center. September 2010.

August 2010:

Medina Raptor Center has had a busy summer! Below are photos of the August 1st release of two Red-tailed Hawks!

July 2010:

Wish List:

Medina Raptor Center's new 2010 material donation wish list has been posted. It can be viewed by clicking here. (Required Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Eagle:

Medina Raptor Center admitted a young bald eagle this past month. The eagle was found on the ground in Cleveland. The eagle is doing much better and has since been transferred to another facility. The eagle can be seen in the photo below:

June 2010:

Great Horned Owl Releases:

Medina Raptor Center released two Great Horned Owls on June 19, 2010. One of the owls was a male and the other was a female. Watch videos of the releases below:

Fishing Line:

When fishing, please make sure to dispose of your fishing line appropriately. Fish eating raptors and many other birds often sustain severe injuries from becoming entangled in fishing line. Medina Raptor Center has treated many birds injured by fishing line. Please view our flyer about fishing line by clicking the following link: Fishing Line flyer (Adobe Acrobat .PDF)

Walk on the Wild Side:

On June 12, Medina Raptor Center participated in Dr. Gary Riggs' "Walk on the Wild Side" to help benefit Wild4Ever, a nonprofit organization which has the mission of benefiting animals and preserving wildlife. You can visit the Wild4Ever website by going to http://www.wild4ever.com/. Medina Raptor Center would like to thank Dr. Riggs for all the support he has given to Medina Raptor Center. See pictures from the event below:

May 2010:

Spring is Here:

Medina Raptor Center has been very busy caring for orphaned babies of various species this Spring. Among those cared for, four groundhog cubs were successfuly treated and released this month! Below is a picture of two of them while they were in our care.

Endangered Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Treated and Released:

Medina Raptor Center admitted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for treatment in April. After a month of successful rehabilitation, the bird was released back into the wild. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are listed as an endangered species in Ohio. View a picture of the Sapsucker below, moments after it was released!

Pictured above: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker released into the wild

Spring Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Spring 2010 Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

April 2010:

Medina Raptor Center has had a busy winter with rehabilitation and educational programs! MRC has already treated over 35 patients so far this year. There have been many succesful releases of birds including a Virginia Rail, Screech Owls, Mourning Doves, Barred Owls, Red-Tailed Hawks, a Red-Shouldered Hawk, a Cardinal and more!

November 2009:

Fall Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Fall 2009 Newsletter is available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Kestrels Released:

Two American Kestrels were released this month. Watch the video of one of the releases below!

Medina Raptor Center released eight squirrels on November 6. These squirrels came to us as babies and were taken care of until they were able to be released into the wild. Photos of some of the squirrels, before and after release, are below:

October 2009:

Medina Raptor Center has continued to release rehabilitated birds and animals. See pictures below of a red shouldered hawk and a robin that were recently released. You can also read an Akron Beacon Journal article about the hawk pictured below.

Pictured above: A red shouldered hawk being released.

Pictured above: A robin being released.

August 2009:

Summer Newsletter:

The Medina Raptor Center Summer 2009 Newsletter is now available. Click here to download the newsletter. (.pdf)
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Successful Releases:

We have had MANY successful releases at Medina Raptor Center this summer. Below are photos of the releasing of a red bellied woodpecker, three ducklings, and a barred owl.


Pictured above:Red Bellied Woodpecker, moments after release.

Pictured above: Three ducklings moments after being released.


Pictured above: Barred Owl being released.

July 2009:

Kendal at Oberlin Visit:

We had a beautiful day for our friends from Kendal at Oberlin to come out and visit our facility. We enjoyed their visit very much and so did the birds. The trumpeter swans put on a nice show and seemed to love the company. We had a great turnout of thirty people and there was a nice breeze to keep everyone cool.  The visitors had lunch with our birds and handlers and the swans too. It was a perfect day.  Of course, Migisi (bald eagle) was the star of the show!  A few pictures from the visit are pictured below.

Pictured Above: Trumpeter Swans.

Pictured Above: Volunteer Debbie handling Matilda (Turkey Vulture) during the visit.

Pictured Above: Eagle trainer Lou Gaeta talking to the visitors.

Cage Construction:

Thanks to a grant provided by the Hasslinger Foundation, several cages at MRC were renovated and reconstructed. The work was performed by Odds and Ends Construction. Pictures of the construction can be seen below.

Pictured above: Construction in progress.


Pictured above: Construction in progress.

Pictured above: Barred Owls enjoying one of the renovated flight cages.

June 2009:

Watch the recent releases of four duckings and a great horned owl in the videos below:

May 2009:

Peregrine Release:

After spending significant time at Medina Raptor Center this winter, followed by more time at the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, the peregrine falcon pictured below was finally successfully released back into the wild in Minnesota!

April 2009:

Another Bald Eagle Release:

Medina Raptor Center released another bald eagle (pictured below) that came to the Center after being found suffering from lead poisoning. Follow the link below to watch video of the release.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=111662

Barred Owl and Cooper's Hawk Release:

Medina Raptor Center released a barred owl and a cooper's hawk this month. Pictures are below:

Barred Owl Release

Cooper's Hawk Release

Cooper's Hawk Release

Shreve Migration Sensation:

Read an article from a local newspaper about the Shreve Migration Sensation: Shreve abuzz once again for annual Migration Sensation.

Bald Eagle Release:

Medina Raptor Center released a bald eagle this month. This eagle came to us in September 2008 after having its leg degloved by fishing line. After several surgeries the bird was able to regrow skin cells on the leg and then feathers. Pictures of the release are below.

Remembering Victoria:

The Medina Raptor Center lost a very special friend this week.  Victoria was a beautiful Barred Owl who came to  the center, as an adult, in 1991.  She had a badly fractured left wing which required surgical repair and insertion of a steel plate.  The exact cause of her injury was never determined but was probably due to a gunshot wound or being struck by a car.  Victoria recovered well but could not be released due to the injury.  She was added to the Raptor Center permit the following year.

Victoria never lost her spunk or her spirit.  She was a wonderful education bird but, she had some  very special work waiting for her.  Victoria served as a surrogate/foster mother to over 9 Barred Owl babies, raising them as she would her own.  All of those babies were released back to the wild thanks to Victoria's loving care.  Some  were released into the woods surrounding the Raptor Center.  Many of those Barred Owl communicated with Victoria regularly and many even came to visit her at night.  It was quite common to hear Victoria and the wild owls hooting back and forth in the early morning or evening hours. That always brought a big smile to anyone who was lucky enough to be around for  those hauntingly beautiful calls.

Victoria also had her own special friend.  Her soul mate  was another Barred Owl named Eclipse who left us in 2007.  Eclipse was blind and Victoria was instrumental in helping him live the best life possible.  They could often be found huddled together  or preening each other in Eclipse's side of the cage.  What a special bond those two shared for 13 years.

Victoria was at least 20 years old when she died and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her and  worked with her.  Victoria touched many souls during her time on earth.  Fly free, Victoria.  You certainly earned it.

March 2009:

Spring Newsletter:

The Spring Newsletter is available for viewing. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Barred Owl Rescue:

On a rainy Saturday night at 9:00 P.M.three volunteers from Medina Raptor Center drove 50 miles to Lorain to rescue a Barred Owl that had flown into the Home Depot store on Leavitt Rd. The bird had been in the store for three days. We tried to contact several closer facilities but no one wanted to help this unfortunate bird.  It took about four hours but we were successful in capturing the bird and bringing it to safety. The Home Depot crew were helpful and glad the owl was captured safely and was not injured. He is starving and is extremely dehydrated but we are hopeful that he will be released into the wild after rehabilitation.

Releases:

We had several successful releases this month including a Broad-winged Hawk, a Red Shouldered Hawk, and a Horned Grebe.

Broad-winged Hawk Release


Red Shouldered Hawk Release

Horned Grebe Release

February 2009:

Half-Pint Returns:

A tundra peregrine falcon named Half-Pint has returned to Medina Raptor Center after spending sometime at another facility. Half-Pint (pictured below) will be featured in some of MRC's educational programs in the future.

January 2009:

Going Green:

Medina Raptor Center is starting an e-mail newsletter list. If you would like to receive your newsletter via e-mail rather than a paper copy, please send an e-mail to Debbie Parker. Debbie is one of our volunteers and she will be coordinating the newsletter e-mail list. Please give her your name and address and the e-mail address you would like the newsletter sent to.

Bald Eagle:

Medina Raptor Center had its busiest year ever in 2008. MRC saw 428 patients for the year. Of those 428 patients, 180 were released back into the wild, 6 were transferred to other facilities, 5 are now part of MRC's educational program, and 33 are still pending.

We recently updated our mailing list. If you are no longer receiving our newsletters, please contact us so we can update your information. There is a chance we may have accidentally lost your information. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Bald Eagle:

MRC is currently rehabilitating two adult bald eagles that recently came to the center. In time, the eagle should be able to be released back into the wild! The one pictured below is recovering from a leg injury. The other eagle is suffering from lead poisoning.

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