2015

[winterwren]

Another year of animal rescues on Hornby Island...

The first one took place today, January 25, and is documented here.

We captured an adult eagle with a broken wing at Helliwell Park.

Thank you MARS for your support, we couldn't do any of this without you!

[boonibarb]

HEART rescues in 2015

Thank you to our Hornby first responders!

January 25

• Eagle with *broken* wing reported seen on the ground in Helliwell. The story of the rescue & the final outcome can be read here

March 18

• Eagle with *broken* wing reported seen on the ground near the Tralee Nest. The story of the rescue & the initial outcome can be read here

May 23

• Small gray Bird found on ground under Tree. Was looking very poorly when he was delivered to me. The story can be read here

June 14

• Nestling Crow, fell from Nest, cared for by family about two weeks, then brought to MARS. The story can be read here

June 29

• Nestling Eaglet, spotted june 27 on the ground under the Nest Tree, reported to MARS june 28, captured by neighbours & HEART, then brought to MARS. The story can be read here

July 9

• Possible Merlin found asleep on the road. Kept cool & quiet, but didn*t come to, so sent to MARS. The story can be read here

July 9

• Passerine Nestling, perhaps a Robin, fell out of Nest twice in one day. Young girl wanted to keep & feed him, but changed her mind, so was delivered to MARS. The story can be read here

July 11

• Eaglet from the Lunar Rock Nest, was observed on the ground & low in Trees only, so was captured & delivered to MARS. The story can be read starting here.

July 22

• Water Bird, maybe a young Loon?, dropped by an Eagle in a back yard. The story can be read here.

July 26

• Seal Pup, seen alone all day on the shore at Heron Rocks Campground. The story can be read here.

August 22

• Adult Eagle, seen standing in the water on the shore at Heron Rocks Campground. The story can be read here.

August 23

• Raven, found lying on the road. The story can be read here.

September 2

• Small Bird rescued by girls from the road. The story can be read here.

November 2

• Eagles on the ground flapping & screeching! The outcome can be read here

[winterwren]

March 18, an eagle on the ground, a ways inland near the Tralee Point territory.

I'm hoping that Booni will post her beautiful photos of that eagle on the Tralee Point thread. She got the initial part of the story, too, and I'm missing some information about that.

I do want to tell you about the update I got tonight, from the gentleman who took this eagle to MARS. So this is not official reporting from MARS, just a second-hand report.

Apparently the eagle is a young adult, with just a little bit of dark left on the tail. One wing seems to have problems but there is no obvious fracture. (This corresponds with what we heard and saw: we had been told the eagle had a broken wing but both wings seemed properly tucked against the body.)

The eagle was weak and dehydrated. He will get some rehydration and feeding, after which he will go to the vet for x-rays.

The neighbour who found the eagle asked who should name him. I told her that it was her privilege, as the finder. She obviously had something in mind. She smiled and she said, "Barney. Just because."
I guess she thought he (or she) looked like a Barney. So Barney it is.

Story can be found here.

[Stokes]

Beautiful coordination and rescue work.
Thank you for your dedication and amazing hearts.

Flood

[boonibarb]

i got a call last night after dark.
A man in my neighbourhood had found a Bird on the ground who wasn*t looking well.
He*d heard about me, so he called.
He thought the Bird was a Crow who had fallen out of his Nest.
He brought him over to me in an uncovered box flat.
The Bird wasn*t looking well indeed.
Uncovered & not even trying to get away.
i covered the flat with a cloth & kept the Bird in a dark quiet closet for the night.
i wasn*t expecting him to make it through the night.
When i got up in the morning, i heard these strange scritching sounds & couldn*t figure out what it would be.
Then i remembered.
The Bird is still alive!
i peeked under the cloth & there he was, all bright-eyed & bushy tailed, so i covered him up again.
Okay, now what.
i gotta get this little guy to MARS asap!
i got the bright idea to post a request on one of the Hornby facebook pages, asking for a ride for a Bird to Buckley Bay.
Someone called me minutes after i posted!
Her Mr. was taking a UHaul truck on the nine ferry & could i bring the Bird over!
Well, they live just up the road from me, so this was perfect!
i called Mountainaire to give them a heads up about the Bird & saying i needed them to be at Buckley Bay at 9:45 to meet the truck.
The person who answered was new to MARS, & didn*t think they would drive all that way to pick up a Bird, could i send him to another place.
Whaaaaaat?
She put me on hold while she went to talk to someone & meantime i am washing a small cat carrier that someone must have dropped off in my shed in the last few days without me realizing it.
i transferred the Bird into in, closed the lid & covered it with a towel.
i am still on hold to Mountainaire, in my nightgown, starting my car, ready to deliver the Bird to my neighbours.
i gotta go!
i don*t want to miss this ride & the driver is in a rush to get to the ferry!
So i hung up on MARS & drove to deliver the Bird.
When i got home, i called MARS back, told them the Bird was heading for the 9 ferry off of Hornby.
They had agreed to pick him up & would meet at the gas station at Buckley Bay!
YAY!!
At 10:05, i got a call from MARS, they were at Buckley Bay & had seen the big truck come off the ferry & just keep driving on by!
Arrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh!
This had been going so well!
He had been given a cellphone, but MARS was calling & he wasn*t answering.
i said keep trying!
mishi suggested i call him, so i did & he picked up right away.
He was heading back to the gas station!
i called MARS back & they were still there waiting for him & she sounded quite happy that all this trouble on their part had worked out after all!
Thank you MARS!
Thank you Roy & Elisa!
By the way, the Bird wasn*t a Crow nestling, he had a long pointy beak & was kind of grey.
Maybe a Swainson*s Thrush nestling?
Let*s wish him well & i hope we hear good news about him!

[Cawatcher]

  HEART! Whew outta breath after reading that one, Thank you booni!! Quite a reputation you have on Hornby! 

[sparkie]

wow Booni  fantastic story.. I will be waiting for good news .You have HEART indeed

[paintnut]

Gosh Booni I couldn't read fast enough to get the rest of the story!!  Hope the little one makes it

[jeavverhey]

  Booni! You are the best! 

[boonibarb]

i had seen a post on the Hornby Word of Mouth facebook page about a Crow.

We are looking for a large bird cage to house our fledgling crow (we are trying to keep her away from the neighbourhood cats). Her parents are still here; she fell from the nest and we are caring for her until she can fly.

Does anybody have anything suitable that we could borrow?

i wanted to say something, but couldn*t quite word it.
Next morning i posted.

i have small Bird carriers here. Take the Crow nestling to Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society in Merville. They will check the Crow over, feed a proper diet, raise & flight train with other Crows, then release back to Hornby to be with their family. 250-337-2021.

A day later Reg called me, asking me to go have a look at the Crow & get some fotos for him.
i phoned the family & left a message, offering to come look at help, but they never called me back.

The next day, i got a call at 8:15 from a woman asking if she could bring the Crow over so i could get her to MARS.
The woman thought the nestling Crow might have aspergillosis & maybe a pox sore on the roof of her mouth.
She was weak, not eating well, her poop was yellow & inside her throat was pale pink.
The family had been feeding & caring for her, the parents were still around & they were hoping she would fledge, but now she seemed sick.
She said she would take the Crow to MARS herself, so i gave her my ferry card & some gas money i had been donated for HEART, & off she went.
She came back with my ferry card, very happy with how MARS/Reg had treated the Crow.

[Cawatcher]

Thank you booni hope the little guy gets well 

[Donnae]

Wonderful Booni... I do hope the crow makes it!!!

[Tigerlady105]

Thank you for being such a wonderful H.E.A.R.T. wildlife rescuer, Booni!   

[boonibarb]

Nestling Eaglet, spotted june 27 on the ground under the Nest Tree, reported to MARS june 28, captured by neighbours & HEART, then brought to MARS. The story can be read here

[boonibarb]

A car pulled in my driveway this morning at 7:15am.
She said she had a raptor wrapped in her scarf.
She had found him lying on the road next to a small dead Bird, so perhaps he*d gotten hit by a car while eating the Bird & had sustained a head injury?
He was fast asleep, & didn*t rouse when we tried to untangle his sharp talons from the scarf.
We ended up putting him into the kennel with his talons grasping the scarf.
To me he looked to be a Merlin, i don*t know if male or female or fledgling.
i talked to MARS, they said keep him cool, because of the head injury, & quiet, & see if he came around.
At one point i slowly dragged the scarf from the kennel, as he*d re-positioned & let it go.
That startled him awake & he spread out to look big at the back of the kennel.
The next few times i checked on him, he was awake & watching me, but then he was lying down & watching me, & then asleep again.
MARS said give him another couple of hours & see.
By that time he was still sleeping, so it was necessary to get him in to help.
i went down to the four ferry & MARS was going to pick him up at Buckley Bay.
i found a Hornby local willing to take him across!

Oh, yeah, & while i was on the phone with MARS, a little girl from down the street came to me with a grass nest she*d made with a teeny tiny nestling in it, just getting feathers, eyes still closed.
She*d been told i would know what to feed the Bird!
i said i didn*t know, that it would be good to get the Bird into the Bird hospital, but she wanted to keep it.
i went over a bit later for the nestling, carrying a box, but the girl wanted to keep the Bird & feed him herself, & the parents said they didn*t want to force her to give the Bird up.
Yikes.
Well, it turned out she saw the light after i walked away, so they called me, but i didn*t get the message til i got back from taking the Merlin to the ferry.
So now i had to go back & do it all again!
MARS said they would come to Buckley Bay to get the nestling, so i ran down to catch the last ferry off of Hornby.
A woman in a van with kids followed me all the way to the ferry, so i started off by asking her.
She was happy to take the Bird to Courtenay to meet MARS!
She thought the nestling was a Robin.
Me, i didn*t have a clue what they were.