Thought those of you who may not get the Raptor Rehab newsletter might get kick
out of the latest.
Ceci & friends at
The Far Side FarmFranklin County KYthefarsidefarm@xxxxxxxxx
----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky Inc.
<dm-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
| MARCH 2022 NEWSLETTER MARCH IS FOSTER MOM APPRECIATION MONTH AT RROKI BY
TIFFANY DICKS For all of us at RROKI, March is the beginning of our baby season
with the first chicks coming in for rehabilitation. Our season usually starts
with Great Horned Owl chicks followed by Barred Owl chicks shortly after. When
a baby owl is found, the best thing to do is try to get it back into the nest
safely. It is an “Old Wives Tale” that if you find a baby animal and touch it,
the parents will not tend to it. The adult owls can always take better care of
the young bird better than we can, but sometimes there is no other option than
to get it to us at RROKI for care. We received our first Great Horned Owl chick
early in March at 236g. The chick was weak, hungry, and dehydrated on arrival.
We were able to stabilize the chick and keep it under medical observation for
24 hours. Once stable, the chick was able to be moved out to a mew enclosure
with our wonderful foster mom, Hagatha. Over the years, Hagatha has raised many
GHO chicks for us by fostering. All of them have turned out to be fierce,
strong, and resilient owls that keep all of the volunteers on their toes until
they are finally released back into the wild. The chick is now weighing in at a
hardy 1200g and is thriving with Hagatha and another chick that has come in for
rehab. This time of year is very critical for many types of baby animals, so
please consider keeping your pets indoors as much as possible and keep an eye
out for orphaned or injured birds of prey. SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
BY BRIGID KUNZLER You may recall seeing on our social media back in January a
plea for fish donations for a juvenile Bald Eagle that we had taken in. Well, I
am pleased to announce that Bald Eagle 22-19 was released this past weekend in
one of my favorite places – Land Between the Lakes. This bird came to us
extremely emaciated, with thankfully no other issues. We initially fed a liquid
diet to slowly reintroduce nutrients, then we were able to eventually work up
to their favorite food of fish, which so many of you graciously donated! It was
a long, hard winter for juvenile birds. We took in several who didn’t have many
issues other than starvation. Prey is extremely scarce during the colder
months, and a lot of young birds don’t get the hang of hunting before their
first winter. Thankfully someone spotted this young bird on the ground and was
able to get him to us for help. After we fattened him up a bit, we put him in a
flight enclosure to regain strength and build muscle. Then last Friday, after a
3-and-a-half-hour drive, this bird got to taste sweet freedom. Releasing birds
is exciting and scary at the same time; they’re back in the wild where they
belong, but you can’t help but wonder and worry about how they’re managing. All
the hard work you’ve put into the bird’s recovery has now come to an end, and
all you can do is hope they thrive. The Bald Eagle population in Land Between
the Lakes is now a little larger, thanks to the hard work of our volunteers,
and to our supporters for all the generous fish donations. THE ARCHER OF THE
SNAKES BY ASHLEY DUNN Do you know which bird of prey has the longest legs?
Well, if not, let me tell you! Sagittarius Serpentarius is their taxonomic name
which means “the archer of the snakes”, most widely known as the Secretary
Bird. They usually stand around 4’ 3” tall and have a wingspan ranging from 6’
3” to 6’ 11” wide. With black leg feathers resembling pants, wing and tail
feathers like a tailcoat, and dark quills on their head, they were thought to
have been named by Europeans in the 1800s when they were first discovered. In
that period, male secretaries wore gray tailcoats, dark knee-length pants, and
carried goose-quill pens behind their ears. These birds are also in their own
family called Sagittariidae. They are distant relatives to vultures, buzzards,
harriers, and kites. They spend the majority of their time on the ground but
spend nights in the nests they make up high in acacia trees. South of the
Sahara Desert in Africa is where you can find these unique creatures. Savannas
are where they like to inhabit. These areas are a great food source for
reptiles, small mammals, birds, and insects. They cover around 20 miles each
hunting trip, taking breaks on and off to get relief from the scorching sun.
They are known to work in pairs or small groups peering through the grass
searching for prey. When they zero in on their prey of choice they will chase
it down and either strike it with their beak or stomp on it until it is dead or
stunned. They have a striking force of about five times their body weight.
Snakes are no match for these birds, using their large wings as a distraction
before going in for the kill. They will then swallow their prey whole since
they lack gripping strength in their feet. When it comes to dating, any time of
the year will do. They are monogamous and spend around six months building
their nests, which can be 8’ across! Nests are used for many years by the same
pairs. A clutch is 1-3 eggs that are a pale-green color. Secretary birds can
successfully raise more than one chick unlike most birds of prey. Within 6
weeks the chicks are fully feathered, at 9 weeks they start flapping, and at 12
weeks they are ready to fledge. Males and females look similar with small
differences. Males usually have longer tail feathers, head plumes with a
shorter head, and more blue-grey plumage. Adults will have featherless
red-orange faces, while juveniles have yellow on their faces. Their lifespan in
the wild can range from 10 to 15 years and around 19 years in captivity. In
2016 these birds were listed as a vulnerable species, and in 2020 they moved to
the endangered list. Loss of habitat is the reason for their rapid decline.
Hopefully, changes will be made to reverse this damage, and we can learn more
about these long-legged raptors.
-------------------------------------------------- “Secretarybird.” Wikipedia ,
Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2022,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretarybird#Breeding. Secretary Bird ;| San
Diego Zoo Animals & Plants . (2022). San Diego Zoo. Retrieved March 30, 2022,
from https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/secretary-bird IMPORTANT BABY ;
SEASON INFO: WHAT SEES THE OWL His velvet wing sweeps through the night: With
magic of his wondrous sight He oversees his vast domain, And king supreme of
night doth reign. by Elizabeth Sears Bates Please email us at
raptorrehabofkentucky@xxxxxxxxx to schedule your tour today! Here at RROKI we
specialize in Birds of Prey Only. If you find a Songbird, Mammal, or Waterfowl
please use this link to find the right rehabber near you.
https://app.fw.ky.gov/rehabilitatorNew/ WANT TO VOLUNTEER? You can download the ;
form here . WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE? You can send donations to the address
below: Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, Inc. P.O. Box 206186 Louisville, KY
40250-6186 We also have an amazon wishlist if you prefer to donate items. One
of the items we need the most is Vitahawk . WOULD YOU LIKE A TOUR? Please email
us at raptorrehabofkentucky@xxxxxxxxx to schedule your tour today! ADOPT A
RAPTOR Would you like to adopt one of our birds? NEED A GIFT? Check out our
ETSY shop. Visit Our Site Let's be buddies
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MARCH 2022
NEWSLETTER
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MARCH IS FOSTER MOM APPRECIATION MONTH AT RROKI
BY TIFFANY DICKS
For all of us at RROKI, March is the beginning of our baby season with the
first chicks coming in for rehabilitation. Our season usually starts with Great
Horned Owl chicks followed by Barred Owl chicks shortly after. When a baby owl
is found, the best thing to do is try to get it back into the nest safely. It
is an “Old Wives Tale” that if you find a baby animal and touch it, the parents
will not tend to it. The adult owls can always take better care of the young
bird better than we can, but sometimes there is no other option than to get it
to us at RROKI for care.
We received our first Great Horned Owl chick early in March at 236g. The chick
was weak, hungry, and dehydrated on arrival. We were able to stabilize the
chick and keep it under medical observation for 24 hours. Once stable, the
chick was able to be moved out to a mew enclosure with our wonderful foster
mom, Hagatha. Over the years, Hagatha has raised many GHO chicks for us by
fostering. All of them have turned out to be fierce, strong, and resilient owls
that keep all of the volunteers on their toes until they are finally released
back into the wild.
The chick is now weighing in at a hardy 1200g and is thriving with Hagatha and
another chick that has come in for rehab. This time of year is very critical
for many types of baby animals, so please consider keeping your pets indoors as
much as possible and keep an eye out for orphaned or injured birds of prey.
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SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH
BY BRIGID KUNZLER
You may recall seeing on our social media back in January a plea for fish
donations for a juvenile Bald Eagle that we had taken in. Well, I am pleased to
announce that Bald Eagle 22-19 was released this past weekend in one of my
favorite places – Land Between the Lakes. This bird came to us extremely
emaciated, with thankfully no other issues. We initially fed a liquid diet to
slowly reintroduce nutrients, then we were able to eventually work up to their
favorite food of fish, which so many of you graciously donated!
It was a long, hard winter for juvenile birds. We took in several who didn’t
have many issues other than starvation. Prey is extremely scarce during the
colder months, and a lot of young birds don’t get the hang of hunting before
their first winter. Thankfully someone spotted this young bird on the ground
and was able to get him to us for help. After we fattened him up a bit, we put
him in a flight enclosure to regain strength and build muscle. Then last
Friday, after a 3-and-a-half-hour drive, this bird got to taste sweet freedom.
Releasing birds is exciting and scary at the same time; they’re back in the
wild where they belong, but you can’t help but wonder and worry about how
they’re managing. All the hard work you’ve put into the bird’s recovery has now
come to an end, and all you can do is hope they thrive. The Bald Eagle
population in Land Between the Lakes is now a little larger, thanks to the hard
work of our volunteers, and to our supporters for all the generous fish
donations.
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THE ARCHER OF THE SNAKES
BY ASHLEY DUNN
Do you know which bird of prey has the longest legs? Well, if not, let me tell
you! Sagittarius Serpentarius is their taxonomic name which means “the archer
of the snakes”, most widely known as the Secretary Bird. They usually stand
around 4’ 3” tall and have a wingspan ranging from 6’ 3” to 6’ 11” wide. With
black leg feathers resembling pants, wing and tail feathers like a tailcoat,
and dark quills on their head, they were thought to have been named by
Europeans in the 1800s when they were first discovered. In that period, male
secretaries wore gray tailcoats, dark knee-length pants, and carried
goose-quill pens behind their ears.
These birds are also in their own family called Sagittariidae. They are distant
relatives to vultures, buzzards, harriers, and kites. They spend the majority
of their time on the ground but spend nights in the nests they make up high in
acacia trees. South of the Sahara Desert in Africa is where you can find these
unique creatures. Savannas are where they like to inhabit. These areas are a
great food source for reptiles, small mammals, birds, and insects. They cover
around 20 miles each hunting trip, taking breaks on and off to get relief from
the scorching sun. They are known to work in pairs or small groups peering
through the grass searching for prey. When they zero in on their prey of choice
they will chase it down and either strike it with their beak or stomp on it
until it is dead or stunned. They have a striking force of about five times
their body weight. Snakes are no match for these birds, using their large wings
as a distraction before going in for the kill. They will then swallow their
prey whole since they lack gripping strength in their feet.
When it comes to dating, any time of the year will do. They are monogamous and
spend around six months building their nests, which can be 8’ across! Nests are
used for many years by the same pairs. A clutch is 1-3 eggs that are a
pale-green color. Secretary birds can successfully raise more than one chick
unlike most birds of prey. Within 6 weeks the chicks are fully feathered, at 9
weeks they start flapping, and at 12 weeks they are ready to fledge. Males and
females look similar with small differences. Males usually have longer tail
feathers, head plumes with a shorter head, and more blue-grey plumage. Adults
will have featherless red-orange faces, while juveniles have yellow on their
faces. Their lifespan in the wild can range from 10 to 15 years and around 19
years in captivity.
In 2016 these birds were listed as a vulnerable species, and in 2020 they moved
to the endangered list. Loss of habitat is the reason for their rapid decline.
Hopefully, changes will be made to reverse this damage, and we can learn more
about these long-legged raptors.
--------------------------------------------------
“Secretarybird.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2022,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretarybird#Breeding.
Secretary Bird | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants. (2022). San Diego Zoo.
Retrieved March 30, 2022, from
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/secretary-bird
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IMPORTANT BABY SEASON INFO:
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WHAT SEES THE OWL
His velvet wing sweeps through the night:
With magic of his wondrous sight
He oversees his vast domain,
And king supreme of night doth reign.
by Elizabeth Sears Bates
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Please email us at raptorrehabofkentucky@xxxxxxxxx to schedule your tour today!
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Here at RROKI we specialize in Birds of Prey Only.
If you find a Songbird, Mammal, or Waterfowl please use this link to find the
right rehabber near you.
https://app.fw.ky.gov/rehabilitatorNew/
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WANT TO VOLUNTEER?
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You can download the form here.
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE?
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You can send donations to the address below:
Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, Inc.
P.O. Box 206186
Louisville, KY 40250-6186
We also have an amazon wishlist if you prefer to donate items.
One of the items we need the most is Vitahawk.
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WOULD YOU LIKE A TOUR?
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Please email us at raptorrehabofkentucky@xxxxxxxxx to schedule your tour today!
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ADOPT A RAPTOR
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Would you like to adopt one of our birds?
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NEED A GIFT?
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Check out our ETSY shop.
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| Visit Our Site |
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Let's be buddies
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| This email was sent to you by Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky Inc. 1025
Southern Ave
Louisville, KY 40218
United States
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