HEGPS ~ Our Nature Zone

Around Hornby Island => HEART: Hornby Eagle Advanced Response Team => Topic started by: boonibarb on January 17, 2019, 01:14:46 PM

Title: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on January 17, 2019, 01:14:46 PM

HEART rescues in 2019

Thank you to our Hornby first responders!


January 17


January 23



May 8



May 9



June 1




June 1



June 7


June 7



June 9



June 25



June 25



July 4



July 19



July sometime



october 11



november 13




november 18


Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on January 17, 2019, 02:23:46 PM
 
Was still sipping coffee in my nightgown when the phone rang.
i was expecting it to be my brother, so when the woman said she was Charlie from NIWRA, it took me a bit to snap out of my confusion.
Turns out it was Tawny from NIWRA.
She is the sister in law of my Hornby friend.
She used to do a lot for the Saltspring rescue, IWNCC, even though she lives on Vancouver Island.
Now she is the Animal Care Manager for NIWRA.
She approached me at a thanksgiving meal being held at the Community Hall, to ask if i would be her Hornby go-to person.
i said, of course i would.
The first call i got from them was about the Raven down.
You can read that post HERE. (http://www.hornbyeagles.com/ournatureszonetest/index.php?topic=1791.msg186263#msg186263)
So, Tawny was calling me to see if i would go check out an Eagle that was spotted down beside the road near Phipps Point.
i said of course i would.
i called Aaron, he said he*d come over, then i gathered the rescue gear.
i had some time to putz around in the yard til he showed up.
We loaded the gear in his truck & headed down there.
He was already pulled over next to the road, just before Phipps Point, & i could see the neighbours who had spotted the Eagle, walking towards us.
One of them spotted the Eagle near the new house over to our left.
So, the four of us went in, one wearing good long gloves, two with towels, & one with the big net.
Aaron was game to do the capture.
He went up behind the Eagle with the net.
Us three were to circle around & distract from the front.
The Eagle was not budging an inch from where they were.
We all got within ten feet of the Eagle when suddenly the Eagle bolted to my left & away from Aaron.
We almost trapped them up against a shed, but they bolted into the blackberry bushes at the last minute.
The two guys dove in there as the Eagle tried to go in there deeper.
After a bit of a struggle, Aaron was able to wrap the Eagle in a towel.
He said the Eagle was very light & put up very little struggle.
They were making a bit of a growly noise, which i have never heard before.
We all walked back to Aaron*s truck in which he*d put the kennel that i*d lined with a towel & covered with a blanket, ahead of time, with the door open, ready to go.
Eagle is in the kennel now.
Yay.
We called NIWRA & Tawny answered & was thrilled we*d captured the Eagle.
Aaron was heading into town tomorrow anyway, so he was willing to go today instead, to bring the Eagle in right away.
He asked if it was okay to bring the Eagle to MARS instead, & Tawny said that would be fine.
So, Eagle & Aaron were on the noon ferry & should be at MARS by now.
Here are some assessment fotos i took.
This Eagle is in the last phase of sub-adulthood.
 
january 17 2018 11:13 - Eagle down near Phipps Point
 
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4810/46780729341_0ba33bc1d9_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2egRt1Z)

Checking out the shed & bushes to which they*d would run when we got too close.
 
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7830/39815338273_5735d74a78_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/23Em1Vx)
 
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4850/46055623334_747a742206_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2daM7gh)
 

 
link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on January 17, 2019, 06:39:28 PM
 
So, Joanne from MARS called me to get a bit more information about our Eagle.
She referred to her as she.
She weighed only 3.5 kg, & should weigh much more than that.
She definitely has something going on with her breathing, either trichomonas or aspergillosis.
So that is why she sounded like she was growling.
i have never heard that before.
They took a swab & are treating her for both.
If she can survive what is going on with the breathing, it will be easy to get her weight back up.
She is getting extra oxygen piped into her cage.
She was given a tubing of the stuff to kick start her crop.
Joanne says they are getting other Eagles with this symptom.
This Eagle was number 016 & we*re only halfway through january.
She said that there are a lot of hungry Eagles at MARS.
People on Hornby are seeing 30-50 Eagles feeding on a dead Sea Lion in Helliwell Park right now.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: winterwren on January 18, 2019, 06:37:14 PM
Someone just sent me this link from CHEK News.
The video part has an obvious mistake. It makes it sound as if the eagle that Booni and Aaron rescued yesterday was Mom Hornby, or Em!
We of course know that this rescued eagle is a sub-adult and has not 'bred for many years'; also she was found at Phipps Point.

The video shows nice views of that eagle, and gives us the strange respiratory sounds of two different eagles affected by this respiratory disease. One of the sounds is the strange growl that Booni described.

Click here (https://www.cheknews.ca/a-wave-of-sick-eagles-has-vancouver-island-wildlife-rescuers-on-edge-526413/?fbclid=IwAR2p03lpPPh_j01gGnWXB_dvkNNxQJpMi6dQ0KXN8PoAaqOh8pQNSuJbDWo) to see the video and accompanying article.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on January 22, 2019, 07:49:34 AM
 
So, our poor rescued Eagle was diagnosed with lead poisoning, & died sunday night some time...
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Tigerlady105 on January 22, 2019, 09:57:38 PM
Sadly.   Sorry the eagle didn't make it.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: jeavverhey on January 23, 2019, 02:40:53 AM
 :mgritted grrrr use of lead  in shot, bullets, fishing gear (weights) is totally infuriating!  :eccry
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Rajame on January 27, 2019, 03:25:13 AM
Thank you for all you did for the eagle. It is heartbreaking to me that any wildlife suffers. As a human, knowing that she was with caregivers means that she suffered less than her path may have been without your help. Thank you with love, Rajame :hearts2
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: gmadeb3 on January 27, 2019, 07:24:20 AM
So true Raj,  and yes Thanks for doing the best you could for her.  Also thanks for keeping us up to date and informing us on your rescues.  Very sad that they have to deal with lead in their food,  they are just trying to do what they do to find food.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on May 08, 2019, 10:14:00 AM
 
Okay, so somewhere in there was an Eagle rescue that i forgot to post about.
i was at work when a phone call came in for me, which was very surprising, since no one knows i*m there.
But it was my supervisor & she*d gotten word that they were looking for me on facebook about an Eagle that appeared injured on Seawright Road.
Turned out it was Marielle, from IWNCC, who*d gotten word about the Eagle.
Aaron went down there to capture, but the Eagle flew away.
i told him to keep the rescue gear, because i believed something was wrong with the Eagle.
They had been spotted down on the beach, & rather than fly away, they were clambering up the very steep bank & once they got there, they flew off.
So, that*s not normal.
Sure enough, a few days later, Aaron captured that Eagle a few doors down from that same spot.
i think there had been a dead Sea Lion there that the Eagles were eating.
Now i realize time has passed & i never heard what was going on with this Eagle or how they did, so i left a message for Aaron to see if he ever heard anything.

Now, last night.
i was sitting in my towel after my shower eating my lovely heated dinner when the phone rang.
(Of course!)
Apparently they were discussing an injured Barred Owl that a fella had found on a trail near the School.
They were thinking the Owl had been hit by a car & there was mention of a bloody injury on the breast, but this trail is quite a ways from the road.
People were mentioning my name there but i wasn*t on facebook to get those messages, so fortunately someone called me!
Then, while i was on the phone, the fella who*d found the Owl called me so i got the full details.
He said he*d looked up how to capture the Owl on youtube!
He said he*d petted the Owl, yikes, & picked them up in a towel & put them in a cardboard box but then the Owl was unhappy & ran off.
So he left the box & towels & called me.
Fortunately he told me which trail he*d been on, because, since it was being said that the Owl had been hit by a car, i assumed the Owl was on the trail next to the road, but in fact they were on the inland trail.
He told me 100 meters in, & i was worrying, because i was sure i*d already walked that far, but there was no sign of the box & towels.
Had i missed them?
i kept walking & fortunately spotted the two red towels & the cardboard box, finally.
Now, where was the Owl.
i looked about near the box & finally spotted the Owl in the Salal, eyes closed, all done in looking.
i searched for an easy way in but there wasn*t one.
i figured the Owl would bolt & i*d get tripped up by the Salal, but i walked slowly closer & the Owl did not move, just looked at me with those lovely luminous eyes.
Then i popped the towel over the head & there was no struggle til i picked the Owl up.
i could hear them clacking & feel their feet scrabbling, but they weighed next to nothing.
When i popped them in the towel in the box they fell over with just the weight of the towel & stayed that way.
Yikes.
i closed up the box & walked back to my van & when i got home transferred the poor thing into a proper kennel with a towel lining the bottom.
Even after i removed the cover towel, the Owl remained lying on their side.
Not good.
i covered the kennel with the other towel & left the kennel on my outside porch for the night.
i was sure the Owl would not make it through the night alive.
This morning i woke early & thought right away about the Owl.
Were they alive & could i arrange a trip to MARS for them?
So, that got me up & at *em.
When i checked, the Owl was alive & upright!
No clacking this time.
i put ads all over the Hornby facebook pages & yay! Aaron said he*d take the Owl right to MARS so yayyyyyyy!
i phoned & left a message about the Owl on MARS* answering machine so they can call me for details if need be.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Cawatcher on May 08, 2019, 08:51:33 PM
Thank you booni so glad you got it
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on May 09, 2019, 09:06:40 AM
 
Okay, so i asked Aaron about the Seawright Eagle rescue & he gave me this foto, which i remember, but i don*t remember him telling me that this Eagle had lead poisoning & didn*t make it, darnit.
 
Eagle 016 - by Aaron
 
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33934606908_3e04c2b55e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/TGFJns)
 

link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on May 09, 2019, 09:18:58 AM
 
& here is what Aaron said about the lovely Barred Owl.

And our friend today had a really bad broken wing and euthanized as was to damaged and to old of injury
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on May 09, 2019, 09:51:30 AM
 
Wow, two days in a row.
Got a call late afternoon.
A fella had found a Bird on his lawn that couldn*t fly.
The left wing seemed injured, so likely a window strike.
He*d put the Bird in a glass aquarium & given him a dish of water & some worms & most of the worms got eaten!
He said this Bird looked like a young parrot, with yellow breast, yellow neck & red head, black wing coverlets.
i could NOT for the life of me figure out what Bird we had that was anything like that!
So i sure was curious to see.
i called him back & got his answering machine & described what i would do - line a small box with a towel & put the Bird in & close the lid & then get him to MARS.
When he called me back he told me what he*d done & said this was a male Western Tanager!
Right!
Well, they*d just been to town so he said he*d bring the Bird over to find a ride for.
He brought him in the glass aquarium & seemed disappointed that i didn*t want to keep him in that.  :mconfused
i had a small box ready with a towel in it so popped the Bird in there & closed the lid & accepted the leftover worms from the fella & assured him i*d keep him safe from cats & Opossums & rats over night.
i wanted to get a foto of him so i brought him inside & opened the lid & he quickly flapped out of the box & onto the rim & headed for the window!
So i nabbed him & closed him in again.
Then i got going on advertising on the Hornby facebook pages to get a ride for him.
Left him inside for the night & this morning i woke with the Birds & was trying to fall back asleep when i remembered the Tanager & that i still had no ride for him so that got me up.
Drat.
Everyone is commenting on how lovely he is but no one is offering to take him in!
Drat drat drat.
i used to drive down to the ferry lineup & beg for a ride in the line up but i hate doing that!
It is nice when people see my request & then offer.
Yesterday i had three offers, now today i have none!
& i had all evening for people to see the post & offer.
Worry worry worry.
& then someone offered!
Yay!
& she is going for the 10 ferry!
What a relief!
She just came by.
i offered her gas money but she refused.
i explained to her about asking at Buckely Bay where you buy your tickets & show how she is transporting wildlife, to get her ferries covered.
It worked for Aaron yesterday.
Maybe i*ll call them there & give them a heads up that she is coming, that might help.
It worked!
Yay!
She is retired & is going to town just to take the Tanager to MARS & offered to do this again for me!
Wow, wow, wow!
 
may 8 2019 18:14 - injured male Western Tanager
 
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47811640111_3898d15f6e_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2fQX9SB)
 

 
link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Cawatcher on May 09, 2019, 10:06:49 AM
Great news!
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on May 09, 2019, 08:27:59 PM
 
Oh, darn darn darn.
i was so sure this guy stood a good chance.


Hi Barb, I am back now. I am so sorry, but the lovely little guy died sometime during transit. When I got tere, we opened the box, and he was dead. I felt so bad. They examined his wing anyway, and noticed it was broken in three spots, and the bone was protruding at the bottom of part of the wing. They said it was a compound fracture, and he would have had to have been euthanized.  But stii, I would have felt better had I gotten him there alive. So, I am so sorry for the sad news. 😞
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Cawatcher on May 09, 2019, 10:32:10 PM
So sorry booni thank you all for trying
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Tigerlady105 on May 09, 2019, 10:49:39 PM
What a whirlwind time for you, booni.  I'm sorry that things didn't turn out after all your  efforts.   :dunno
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 01, 2019, 10:51:11 AM
 
An interesting & happy ending back & forth i had with a Hornby local on facebook messenger!

Dear Mz Wildlife Rescue Helper - what do we do with three orphaned possums? We found them on the roof and in the yard, their mum has been around recently but has now disppeared and these guys were calling for her.

oh, drat, not at all sure what to suggest
MARS won*t take them (they can*t take non-native species)
Wonder if NIWRA would help?
Their milk is very complicated & complex, so i wouldn*t feed them
how big are they?
NIWRA - 250-927-6025

they're 4-6 inches long, they were covered in fleas, 2 we found last night, one this morning, cleaned off the fleas manually with a comb, kept the 2 overnight in a glass cage on a heating pad on low, we've fed them pedialite mixed with water but no milk, from what I can tell they don't drink milk, but can take a soy-based milk substitute.

they drink their mother*s milk, which is very complex to duplicate
there is also OWL, they have taken Possums in the past - 604.946.3171

thanks, we'll try NIWR, we can take them there today if they'll help them; if not we can try OWL and maybe get them across to horseshoe bay and get a friend to pick them up;

oh, that is terrific, Thank you so much!

they're so freaking CUTE

i BET they are! wildlife rehabbers LOVE them

Wed 10:37 AM
Nobody on Vancouver Island, North Island Wildlife Rescue ontated Elizabeth Wildlife Rescue in Abbotsford, they take 100 possums a year and are good, they think ours are big enough and healthy enough to survive and make the journey there, we offered to bring them across on the ferry to Horseshoe Bay but they have a better way, there's a wildlife rescue person on VI called Kristen (?) who can take them, but even better one of the volunteers for the Abbotsford place is nearby on vacation and if we get them to Buckley bay this afternoon she will pick them up and take them straight there.

Wed 8:14 PM
Oh, wow, that*s fantastic!
Did it all work out?

not yet, we're keeping them overnight and meeting her first thing tomorrow morning (1st ferry) in Buckley Bay, then she can take them directly to the rescue centre.

Oh, okay, well thank you so much

Thu 10:05 PM
It went smoothly, the possums should be in Abbotsford at the Rescue Centre by now.

Fri 6:47 AM
Gee, that sure worked out well, thanks! ♥
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 01, 2019, 11:07:05 AM
 
i got home late last night & found a late call on my answering machine!
i didn*t know what to do.
i can*t do much for a Deer hit by a car.
But a Fawn hit by a car can be sent to MARS!
i consulted mishi & we went out to look in the dark with our flashlights.
The fella who called had left a glove on the road across from where he*d seen this Fawn.
i was thinking it was too early yet for Fawns.
i was wrong.
mishi found the Fawn in the ditch about twenty feet from where they were originally.
What would i do without her.
i was looking in the wrong direction.
Not sure how she even spotted the tiny dear in the dark.
i was expecting a broken Fawn, hit by a car, so i examined the little sweetie pie, who was playing dead.
i could see the nose wiggling & they were warm.
i saw no signs of injury!
Then the fella showed up in the dark.
What a kind person!
We decided the Fawn was fine, just hiding, waiting for their Mum to come back, but in a dangerous spot.
Now they are safe in the ditch at least.
This is the back & forth that happened on Hornby Helps facebook page.

Does anybody rescue fawns? There is one on St. John’s pt road, 100m west of the yellow pottery studio sign. Across from a green glove on the road. Beside my cut off paper cup. (it did not want any apple juice.)

Still breathing. But seems exhausted and does not budge when I tapped it with my foot. I think it was standing when I first pulled up but I’m not even sure. There was another deer there that I was watching but it ran away. Not sure if that was mom.

Barb Biagi is the main person to contact..is it on the road or off to the side?
   
Don’t touch it or the mother will abandon it. They get left for periods of time, but the mother comes back eventually.

Ask a Wildlife Biologist, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=426&fbclid=IwAR36m_vLRerJH6sDpBNCrLmXgjL0MUKIY-ey00mUHAFORdJfJVXaQsPZu-g)

that dont touch thing is a myth

Red Wallace ?

Step away and observe at a distance. so & so is right, mothers do come back.

 I got hold Of Barb Biagi and she went out and had a look. I met her there. The fawn had moved about 20’(?) so Barb figures it’s just waiting for mom. She said it was quite young. She did check the bones a bit and said it seemed fine. I’ll go have a look tomorrow to see if it moved again. It’s nose was almost on the pavement when I first saw it but now it is in the ditch. Looking cozy.

thanks!

Newborn?

It was probably a newborn. First one Barb’s seen this year and I talk to someone else who hasn’t seen any this year. I think she said she found the umbilical cord and took it off or something like that.

I went back this morning and it was not there so I think it is fine and just getting its life going. It just needs to learn not to sleep with its nose on the road!

Barb Biagi Yay! Thank you Mr. finder & everyone!
i was surprised to see a Fawn already.
There was just the slightest dried up piece of umbilical cord left, i just checked, didn*t remove it, was just curious how fresh the birth was. This one was lovely spotted & curled up in the ditch, pretending to be invisible.
Best left alone, Mum will return.
But, good idea to move them to a safer spot if they are on the road!

Who says there are no fawns? (foto of Fawn & Mum & Fawn!)

Thanks for going out, Barb!



A happy ending & lovely people, to boot! ♥
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Rajame on June 06, 2019, 09:48:15 AM
Thank you for all you do. The love you share is blessing many lives. At least they have a chance Booni. You give them the chance. :hearts2
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Tigerlady105 on June 06, 2019, 10:08:54 PM
Great to see concerned people ready to help.     :eclove   Thank you for letting us know. booni.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 07, 2019, 09:05:21 AM
 
i got a call two days ago about another Fawn.
This one was wandering around on the busy straightaway main road!
The mother was seen, but she had gone off.
Someone moved the Fawn off the road & someone else petted the Fawn.
So the caller felt the mother would not come back & the Fawn needed rescue.
i told her she had done the exact right thing, to get the Fawn off the road, & that the mother would come back, even though the Fawn had been handled by a human.
Fawns are born with no scent, which helps them to hide from predators.
But even with human scent on them, they are FAR better off staying with their mother.
i told her to go back & check later if the Fawn was still hiding where she left them.
They will call to each other & the mother will come back.
If not, the Fawn would let us know.
She went later & the Fawn was gone.
Yay!
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 07, 2019, 09:10:03 AM
 
Yesterday i got a call from one of the shops in the Ringside Market, next to the Co-op.
Yay!
A fella had come in saying he*d found a Bird on the main road that he thought had been hit by a car.
i asked if i could speak to him.
She handed the phone over & he said he*d found the Bird in the middle of the road so he moved the Bird to safety on the side of the road.
i asked how he could tell the Bird had been hit by a car?
He said the Bird looked kind of stunned & was just standing there.
i suggested it could have been a goofy fledgling, standing on the road, not knowing better, & that they may indeed have been a Bird hit by a car & stunned.
Could he go back there & look for the Bird & call me from there?
If the Bird was still stunned, i would put them in a small box or paper bag & let them rest in a dark quiet place to recover, then release them in that same spot.
He called me from where he*d left the Bird & they were gone!
Yay!
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 09, 2019, 09:21:26 AM
 
It was getting late & i was in my hammock reading my book when the phone rang!
It just said British Columbia, & it is hard to get out of my hammock in a hurry, so i didn*t answer.
When i finally did get up, i checked my messages.
Turns out it was a woman who was camping at Heron Rocks & she was reporting an injured Canada Goose.
Because it was late, i called Aaron, hoping he*d be game to go.
He was just coming off the ferry from a tough time in town, but he agreed to go!
i wrote down for him the woman*s phone number then called her back & said Aaron was on the way.
She asked what would happen to the Goose, so i explained about capture & kennel & getting into a wildlife rehab place.
She was relieved.
Meantime, Aaron was already here to pick up kennel & blanket to cover &  towel to put inside & the two capture nets.
We discussed what he should do.
Got a phone call not much later saying he*d already caught the Goose.
There was definitely something wrong, limping & something with the wing & that the Goose was almost a bit tame, but she put on a good sprint when Aaron moved in to capture her.
Now we have her, & i am thinking it is too late for tonight to get her to MARS, but i turn on the computer & start advertising for a ride for them.
Almost immediately i get a message from the rescue fella on Denman, Mike, saying he can transport the Goose across Denman.
i am a bit slow thinking that time of day, but after discussing with Aaron, we realize this could work.
i call MARS, expecting to get an answering machine, but i get a person!
& she is game to come to Buckley Bay to meet Mike with the kennel & the Goose!
Friday there are late ferries, so it is our lucky day.
Aaron is tired, but agrees to put the Goose on the 10 ferry from Hornby.
Mike will meet it on the other side & take to Buckley Bay.
Mike contacts me later that the transfer to MARS took place at Buckley Bay.
WOW!
That went well.
No word back yet on what was up with this Goose.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Tigerlady105 on June 09, 2019, 07:57:32 PM
Great teamwork, booni!  So nice to have people willing to help.    :eclove
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 27, 2019, 08:32:27 AM
 
Update on our Goose.
Mike Nester, who lives on Denman & does wildlife rescue, did a delivery & pick up for us yesterday & asked about our Goose.
Found out the goose died on June 10
They were unable to find the paperwork on it but recalled the goose was quite emaciated...
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 27, 2019, 08:49:29 AM
 
i think it was tuesday night, i was pooped & winding down my day when the phone rang.
i was in the middle of something so let it go to message.
When i checked the message, it was Marielle, from the Saltspring Seal pup rescue, asking me to call her back.
By the time i got back to her, Aaron was already on it.
Yay!
Marielle said there was a premature pup on Dunlop Point.
The tide had been out & now it was coming in.
i was VERY grateful that Aaron didn*t mind hunting for the pup, as i was done in, & couldn*t imagine scouring that huge point for a Seal pup.
Aaron showed up while i was on the phone with Marielle, so she hung up.
He*d already loaded the tub but wanted two towels.
i got him two & off he went.
Well, it turned out he found the pup no problem!
There were people staying in the house on the Point & they were the ones who had been watching the pup out there since the day before.
At first they were just curious, but then they realized something was wrong & called the Vancouver Aquarium, who then called Marielle, who called me & Aaron.
So they were able to point out the pup to Aaron who had the pup in hand & called me back before i could even blink.
Yay!
& Aaron has a boat now, so he took the pup straight to Deep Bay to meet the volunteers who would drive the pup to other volunteers who would get him to Saltspring.
Yay!
Here are some fotos taken by the people who originally spotted the pup & figured out something was wrong.
Marielle can tell by the fotos that this pup was born premature.
There is no way the mother would leave the pup alone & unfed like this, she spends the first two weeks with the pup exclusively.
There is misinformation out there big time that the mother is out feeding herself when a pup is found like this.
People watch & wait & the pup suffers & starves & gets dehydrated or even eaten alive.
Marielle knows her stuff.
i just do what she tells me to.
When they are premature, they have white fur, like this.

june 25 2019 - premature Seal pup
 
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48138340473_4c0e1131a9_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gkPzvt)
 
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48138312511_9017fb1fc3_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gkPrcn)
 
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48138405462_b352d28c3d_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gkPUPY)
 

 
link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on June 27, 2019, 09:08:58 AM
 
Yesterday morning i got a facebook message that they had found a young Robin that was unable to fly, in their driveway.
i wasn*t sure about this, so i told them to call MARS & see what they said.
Well they said bring the Robin in, so they captured the youngster & brought them to me in a box with air holes cut in it.
i got to work on finding a ride for the Robin.
i posted to all the Hornby facebook pages, but no one was noticing.
Then i got a message that someone might be taking a dog to the vet, in which case they would also take the Robin.
But then it was decided that the dog didn*t need to go to the vet.
The person who brought me the Bird suggested i call Mike Nestor, who lives on Denman, & who does wildlife rescue too.
He was the one who came over & rescued the downed Niner Eaglet, way back when.
Turned out he was going to town anyway & would take in the Robin & also pick up our kennel from the Goose capture!
i took the Robin to the noon ferry & handed them to the dubious ferry worker fella at the gate.
But it worked out perfectly & Mike was there to take the box with him in to town!
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Tigerlady105 on June 28, 2019, 12:35:40 AM
So many birds and animals who need help!  Thank you, booni, and all the other special people who help wildlife.   :heart
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on July 04, 2019, 09:49:40 AM
 
It was almost dark when i thought i heard banging at my front porch.
i looked out my upstairs window & sure enough, someone was out there.
Turns out it was my neighbour & he had a lovely girl with him.
He had his hands cupped & i could hear buzzing in there.
He told me his cat was batting around this tiny Hummingbird, so he captured them & brought them over to me, as he*d heard i could help.
Sure enough, tiny tiny Hummingbird.
The tail isn*t even grown in yet.
i put them in a box & called MARS.
They say bring her in, so i begin to arrange finding a ride in for the next morning.
i was told to offer sugar nectar with the barrel of a syringe.
i don*t plunge the syringe, i just put the tip of the little Hummer*s beak inside the hole.
i try this a few times but i don*t see her sipping.
Someone offers to go in on the first ferry!
So this morning i get up as soon as i am awake, 5:40 am.
i go check the Hummer & can hear buzzing & scritching inside the box.
The Hummer is still alive.
But she looks tired & her wings are askew rather than tucked in.
i offer nectar again but she doesn*t seem to me to be taking it.
Turns out Aaron is going to town on the first ferry & he offers to take the Hummer into MARS for me.
Yay!
So i cancel the first offer, since she was going in just to deliver the Hummer.
Aaron is by minutes later & is off to the ferry line up with the Hummer.
i give him the syringe barrel & show him how to feed.

Here are the fotos i took to post on facebook to try to get a ride.
They don*t show how tiny this Hummer is.
Look at the little lovely spot of flashing gorget!
Perhaps an Anna*s?

july 3 2019 21:54 - fledgling injured Hummingbird

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48197839277_1194d13597_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gr5wqV)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48197828382_9bed671dd5_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gr5tc5)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48197818227_8e56474b99_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gr5qaZ)

Aaron seems to be having better luck than me, feeding the little Hummer in the ferry line up!

july 4 2019 08:15 - injured Hummingbird fledgling - by Aaron
 
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48197780991_9c73f4c0c4_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gr5e6Z)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48197780241_f7473a5d3b_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gr5dT4)

At Buckley Bay he is to get out & go to the ticket booth & tell them what he is doing so that he gets a free set of ferry trips for doing this.
i phone ahead to get the wheels turning for this.
He took this foto just before he got to Buckley Bay.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48197779371_531bb8760c_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gr5dC4)

link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Cawatcher on July 04, 2019, 10:39:45 AM
What a community~!
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on July 23, 2019, 10:22:26 AM
 
Last friday was a THREE rescue day!
i worked in the morning, did some shopping on the way home, & got home to many messages from Marielle.
A family at Sandpiper had found a Seal pup there.
i said, sure i*d help, but could the family meet me there?
Finding a Seal pup is like finding a needle in a haystack.
They blend in so well with their surroundings, as they are meant to, & Sandpiper is a HUGE stretch of hard to walk rocky shore & the pup could be anywhere.
The family had already gone home when Marielle couldn*t reach me, but then they agreed to meet me there at the parking lot!
The daughter was invested in helping the Seal pup!
So, yay daughter.
Went down there with the rescue gear & there was the family waiting for me.
He had described to me where to look, but i was EXTREMELY grateful that they were there to show me, as i probably never would have found the pup otherwise.
The tide was out & the kids found the pup, making their way painfully towards the water, which was a long ways away.
It was a HOT afternoon.
i just popped a towel over her head & picked her up.
It always amazes me how heavy they are.
& they squirm!
Marielle said 19 lbs.
20-25 is normal, for this age.
The fella put a towel in the bottom of the tub & i popped her in.
What a cutie.
Her face was unusual, more like an Otter that a Seal pup.
We called Marielle & she asked for another foto.
She told me to wet the pup with water, to keep her cool.
Sometimes she says to do this, sometimes not.
She knows her stuff.
i just do what she says.
Then she arranged for Jim Funk to meet us at Ford Cove to start the trip to Saltspring.
i was VERY grateful for the help of the family.
Also because they helped carry.
i would have had a hard time lugging that tub with pup inside all the way back to my car.
It was hard enough walking as it was.
When i mentioned the Otter face, Marielle laughed.
She has the sweetest laugh.
Kinda like ajl.
She agreed that the pup looked a bit different than they usually do.
So, i go down to Ford Cove with the pup & Jim is already there.
i hear from the Harbour Master that there is another Seal pup, spotted & heard near the floating dock.
Jim takes us over there & we have a look.
Meantime, Jean, the Harbour Master, got in his tiny zodiac type boat & came over to join us.
i spotted & heard the pup!
They popped up & called out, then dipped down again.
It would be nice to catch this guy & send two at once!
i have my net, ready to scoop, but we never see the pup again.
Jean took me to have a bit of a look, then brought me back to the dock.
Meantime, Jim blasted off to Deep Bay for his meeting with the volunteers waiting there to take the pup the next leg of the journey.

So, i go back home, feeling pleased & hungry, but another call awaits me.
A year old Buck was hit by speeding cars in the night.
Someone put him on Whaling Station Bay to feed the Birds.
Someone else called me to say this wasn*t right & could i please take him away.
Well, it is NOT in my job description, but this isn*t the first time i*ve dealt with a call like this.
i don*t mind, but i don*t like to use my van to move the Deer.
i need a pickup truck.
Fortunately a fella offers to help, who did have a pickup & didn*t mind using it for this.
Met them there & he got a wheelbarrow & we went to the beach & lifted the Buck in & then lifted him into the back of the truck.
i was wearing my nice new rainbow dress & all the blood & brain matter in the poor Buck*s ear dumped all down the front of my dress.
Needed to get home & scrub that out quick.
We brought the Buck to the Gravel Pit & already there were four Turkey Vultures circling overhead.
 
Okay, i*m really hungry now.
i discovered The Thatch Pub has nightly specials, so i order one for my supper, then go down there with my containers to pick it up.
It looks yummy.
i go back home to eat it while i do my dishes, but there is a phone message from Marielle.
A family at Ford Cove has spotted the Seal pup off the rocks between Ford Cove & Heron Rocks & could i go help them to scoop him up?
The pup is swimming, not beached.
But i don*t have a boat.
i head down there anyway.
My dinner cools off, waiting for me.
There is no parking!
i drive around a few times then throw myself into a spot on the side of the road.
The fella is waiting for me & takes my gear & walks away.
These young people walk so fast & i am having a hard time keeping up.
Plus i have to watch my step on the rocks.
Turns out Granpa is in his kayak & the pup is swimming nearby.
They disappear then come back up & squawk.
i have never heard a pup call so much.
Good thing he stays near the kayak!
We give Granpa my net & he tries to scoop the pup from the water in his kayak.
It is not easy.
& my net is lined with fine mesh netting & an old nightgown so that we don*t damage Eagle feathers when we need to net them.
The net is filling with water & there is too much drag to catch the pup.
Granpa tries over & over & over again.
It looks like he catches him.
But he has no success.
& now the pup isn*t hanging around the kayak.
He is popping up farther away & Granpa needs to paddle out to him to keep trying.
i finally tell him to cut out the linings.
All that work i did by hand & will now have to do again...
But it makes the net a LOT more manageable.
But in the meantime, after all the failed attempts, the pup has gotten farther & farther away.
He is now over towards Heron Rocks.
We have to give up.
It is awful to have to call Marielle & explain what happened.
You can hear she is heart broken.
She calls me the next day & asks me to look again but i am working.
She calls a friend of mine & they go down to Ford Cove & look & they spot Turkey Vultures & Eagles.
Sure enough, a long dead, partly eaten Seal pup.
They don*t believe Marielle when she says this can*t be the same pup.
But Marielle knows her stuff.
When i see the fotos my friends took, i see that this cannot be the lively calling pup of the night before.
This one has been dead a while, has no fur, & is swollen from being in the water a while.
Also partly eaten.
But a Seal pup.
This is what happens when people see & watch & wait & let Nature take her course.
Or when they say the mother comes back for the pup.
Which she doesn*t, in these situations.
Marielle can tell from the information she gathers that a pup is alone & Motherless.

i go back home hungry & tired to my cold dinner, which i eat at 9:30 pm.
 

 
link to my fotos page - 
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on July 23, 2019, 10:46:38 AM
 
There was another interesting rescue call in there, that i forgot to write about.
i got a call from a woman at MARS.
There was a Fawn needing rescue!
My first one!
The mother was dead.
She gave me an address & a number to call & it turned out it was the police!
He told me there was a Fawn & the mother was hit by a car.
i told him i did wildlife rescue on Hornby & he was happy to take my number for future reference.
i headed to the address i had been given.
A lovely couple met me there.
They had heard about me from some fella, & went to my place, but i wasn*t there.
Turned out they went to the place i used to live in 17 years ago!
They have an OLD Hornby phonebook.
They took me to where the body of the mother was.
She didn*t look hit by a car, to me.
She was way inland, next to their house.
There was no sign of injury.
But there can be internal, invisible injury, from a car.
But the Fawn was gone.
The poor thing had been sleeping inside his Mother*s neck.
They had gone to the police, to the Co-op, to the Fire Hall, looking for help.
Meantime the Fawn left.
MARS had asked them to catch the Fawn, but they didn*t want to.
So they went looking for me.
Now the Fawn was gone.
& they wanted me to remove the Mother.
i promised them i would do that, but could we please leave her for a while, so the Fawn would come back to her?
They reluctantly agreed.
i called MARS when i got home & she was angry that they hadn*t listened to her & now we didn*t have the poor Fawn.
The couple had seen the Mother & Fawn, ever since they had arrived, & something seemed to be wrong with the Mother.
So perhaps she had some sort of infection or something from giving birth.
Later that day, i got a call from the couple.
They had company coming & could i please take the Mother away?
So i called for help from a fella with a pickup & we went there.
Meantime their company had arrived.
& no sign of the Fawn.
i think they were regretting big time now, that they hadn*t gotten the Fawn while they had the chance.
They said they*d keep looking, & they kept my rescue gear in case they spotted the poor thing.
We loaded the Mother into my friend*s truck & brought her to the Gravel Pit.
The couple was SO grateful.
He insisted i take $40.
i have a HEART envelope that any donations like this go into.
i save them for when they are needed for rescue.
He wanted me to keep it, for my expenses, but i told him i don*t do that.
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Cawatcher on July 23, 2019, 02:46:17 PM
My gosh booni what a DAY!! Thank you so much for all you do, and your poor dress !!
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on October 13, 2019, 09:21:59 AM

It was friday night & i*d just sat down at my computer when i saw notifications on the Hornby facebook pages mentioning my name.
Often this indicates injured wildlife.
Sure enough, a woman had found a Bird sitting stunned in the middle of the road & was able to approach & even pick up the Bird in her face mask.
 
october 11 2019 - injured Thrush in mask

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48891116558_dc2bf60c16_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hukKBu)

She was concerned about the beak.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48891829472_684f326501_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2huppx7)

She*d put the Bird in a box, but she has cats & the cats were SUPER interested, so she asked if i could take the Bird overnight.
In the morning her daughter was going to town & could bring the Bird to MARS.
So i said i*d take the Bird.
A bit later she brought the Bird by.
i transferred the Bird into a bigger box with a facecloth in the bottom, & put the box in my cool pantry where it is quiet & dark for the night.
Next morning the Bird is scritching & jumping around in there, so i called MARS.
They said if someone was coming in to town, may as well send the Bird in, so i told the woman this & she came later in the morning & picked the Bird up.
i am thinking this is a Swainson*t Thrush.
They are the ones who sing so lovely in early summer.
Here is the Bird upon intake at MARS.

october 12 2019 - injured Thrush at MARS

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48891148743_383c38d8a8_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hukVbp)

Ah, drat, just spoke to MARS, the poor Bird died overnight, unknown trauma, but likely hit by a car or hit a window.

Oh, the woman who found the Bird called MARS after me, as she suspected poison was the cause of the death.
She told me - I just spoke to them and it was severe head trauma & a virus called Pox


link to my fotos page -
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Cawatcher on October 13, 2019, 09:30:19 AM
I am so sorry to hear that it didn't make it booni
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: Rajame on October 13, 2019, 11:00:00 AM
Thank you for caring and acting Booni. I have said this before and I know this is the human in me speaking but for all that is done in animal rehabbing and they die, at least they were with someone and loved on their way out of this world. Thank you again and again Booni!
:hearts2
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on December 02, 2019, 09:22:01 AM
i got messages & calls from a friend who has a small farm with chickens, horses, a donkey, sheep, turkeys, & four dogs.
They had put a dead chicken out in a field & had noticed an Eagle out there eating.
Then they also noticed a Hawk that looked as though something was wrong.
The fella was able to go out there & capture the Hawk.
He figured the Eagle had attacked the Hawk.
Here is the Hawk, wrapped in the fella*s coat.
When i saw this foto on his cellphone, i pointed out that there is flesh on the beak.
So both the Eagle & the Hawk had been eating the dead chicken.
 
Cooper*s Hawk - by Karen Garton

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49147034801_63c2d3d9e2_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/43214021@N08/5f0u40)

i said i*d come over & have a look.
They were trying to figure out what kind of Hawk this was.
They*d called MARS, & had a plan to meet at Buckley Bay with the Hawk later in the afternoon.
To me, this is either a Cooper*s Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
But i was leaning towards Cooper*s Hawk.
MARS wasn*t sure.
For some reason, this looks like a youngster to me.
The feathering is in perfect condition & i don*t see any injuries from an Eagle attack.
The Hawk looks very feisty.
They have the Hawk in a kennel lined with a towel & covered, to keep the Bird quiet & calm.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49146538718_d9cc0f27af_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/43214021@N08/b971ha)

Next day when i check in about the meeting with MARS at Buckley Bay, i hear that the Hawk died sometime between Hornby & Buckley Bay!
Darn!
They seemed so feisty.
i ask to see the body & when i palpate the keel i find it very sharp there.
There is no flesh abundance in the breast muscles.
So it seemed this poor Hawk was starving.
The feathers were in perfect shape, i saw no damage from an Eagle attack.
My guess is this was a young of the year, brought up with plenty of food to develop the perfect feathering, but then once fledged, the youngster didn*t do so well finding food.
What a shame.
This is a pretty rare sighting on Hornby.


link to my fotos page -
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/
Title: Re: 2019
Post by: boonibarb on December 02, 2019, 09:38:48 AM
It is getting dark when i get a call & then messages that a fella has an injured female Woodpecker & is asking for my help to find a ride for both of them to MARS.
Just the day before, i get an offer of any kind of help from a lovely woman, so i call her, & she works with the fella, so it works out perfectly that they go together to MARS the next day.
i phone Buckley Bay to arrange that their ferry be covered, because they are transporting injured wildlife to MARS.
The fella is very attached to this female Pileated Woodpecker.
Here is his story of the capture!

Nov. 18, 2019

I was at my girlfriend Fiona's place in Sandpiper, when I heard something land with a thump on the porch. Looking outside I saw Mrs Woody, our female pileated woodpecker on the deck with her right wing all jacked. When she saw me she hopped right up and on to the feeder tree and started eating, quite vigorously and would let me approach her. I called MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre right away, “use a sheet to catch, box with towel to put her in and to make it dark after” wanting some help I got a hold of Red, he came over right away.

She was being quite coy and giving me and Red the run around the two stumped trees we have the feeder on, they are only about 8 feet tall, so not so high that she could get away but just high enough to be out of reach. In one moment she is down on the porch, I go for it, throwing my sheet! But all too soft, it misses, lands just behind her as she goes scooching under the BBQ and up a big fir, this one with its top on it. With no way of getting her down Red leaves, I can call him if I need too.

Some people have fur babies, the birds that come to our yard are feather babies, so I grabbed a chair and sat down in the rain with my bird catching sheet and waited. She moves around a little from time to time but is mostly just a little ball 20-30 feet up a pole of a tree, no branches to climb. As I sat there for 40minutes or so kicking my self for missing the one shot we had, I hear her mate (Mr Woody) call out and her response. I wait for dark thinking she would make her play then, no way she was going to stay clinging to the side of the tree all night, and was hoping she would come down. Sure enough as the light started to fade she started moving, up and up and up I started panicking. “No way she is going to try and fly if she jumps she is a goner.” bam! She goes for it! I thought she would fall like a rock but instead she glides over the house! I give chase.

I come around the side of the house she is already going up the next big branchless fir, no chance to get her. I figured she was heading home and knowing she had her system and would go again I stood ready, willing to chase this bird across the island if I have to. Watching her go higher and higher and feeling more and more despair I lose sight, so I stared at the tree and sky in the direction she was heading before.

She launches, I bolt clearing a sandpiper lot from back to front in about 0.nothing and as I am tracking her over my shoulder see her land at base of some small firs behind a ceder panel fence at the drive way. This is my chance.

Eyes scanning like mad, I come around the fence, spotted her, she is about two feet up a tree 5 feet from me. I dove trying to grab her off the tree missing again.

With one last ditch attempt, thinking this was it, now or never, I fanned the sheet out and twirled it like a torero bull fighter, sweeping her off the tree and wrapping her up nicely! Looking up at the empty tree, back down to the sheet, back up the tree nope, no bird in the tree, I had her! I had her!

so I brought her back to the house and put her in the box i had made ready. She settles down once it's dark. I let Red know I got her and called MARS to find out how to care for her over night while I find a ride in the morning. Red suggests giving Barb a call to help with a ride and I post online, so as the team gets on it, I turn to my loving girlfriend for some much needed decompression and let her know what has happened to our Mrs Woodpiggers. Its amazing how much a wild bird can mean to the two of us.

Barb gets ahold of Annie who, much thanks from me and Fiona, says she can drive me and the bird in. We are on the 8am boat and at MARS by 9:45am or so. MARS takes the bird in and gives me a case number so I can call back later.

When I check in at noon, Mrs Woody is doing fine with a splint on her right wing, which will come off in a week and with a few days observation hopefully will be back on hornby in less then two.

A giant thank you to all involved!

MARS posts a foto of the Woodpecker.

Pileated Woodpecker by Gyl Andersen

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49147062691_b7473ab149_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/43214021@N08/R979FW)



link to my fotos page -
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/