Wildlife Experience

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These are pictures from the WSU Raptor Club and my internship at Sarvey Wildlife Care Center.

Sarah is a Northern Saw-Whet Owl and a permanent resident at the WSU Vet Teaching Hospital Exotics Ward. She was most likely hit by a car or wind swept and part of her wing was amputated. Now, she goes on presentations. Though she looks sweet, she is actually quite a brat! And believe it or not, she is only the fourth smallest owl, the smallest being the Elf Owl that is found in Arizona.

Update: Sarah sadly passed away shortly before Christmas break, 2004. She was 11 years old, which is 3 years older than Saw-whets usually live! We wish her spirit well.

Taro is a male American Kestrel, the smallest falcon in North America. He is a permanent WSU resident because he cannot fly well and he is imprinted. Kestrels are found all over the U.S. and you have probably spotted them on telephone wires bobbing their tails.

This is our newest resident, Gwendolyn. She is a Western Screech Owl who was probably hit by a car. She is totally blind in her left eye, but may have some sight in her right. Unlike many of our other birds, Gwen is fully flighted. Though she is new, she is quickly becoming a favorite!

Kessie, like Taro, is an American Kestrel. She came in 1999 when she was probably hit be a car. One of her wings was broken and began healing incorrectly, so she cannot fly.

Windsong is a Sharp-shinned Hawk that was also most likely hit by a car. She is totally blind in the one eye she still has. Her other eye was probably injured beyond repair and was reabsorbed into her head. Windsong is special in that she is our only Accipiter. Sharp-shinned hawks feed on songbirds and usually hang around birdfeeders.

Tiki is a Common Barn Owl that arrived in 2003 as a nestling. He was placed with another Barn Owl to try and prevent imprinting, but he could still hear people around him and so became imprinted anyway. There is nothing physically wrong with him, but he doesn't know how to be a real owl and so can't be released.

Brenda is a dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk who came to us in February of 2001 after she was found hanging from a tree by her right wing. Upon being examined, it was discovered that she had been shot with a pellet gun multiple times. Although her left wing is still completely intact, arthritis has taken over and she cannot extend her wing. Her sex is unknown but it is believed she is female due to her immense size as compared to our other Red-Tailed Hawk, Charlie. Brenda's coloring is much different than that of Charlie as well; she is a very dark shade of brown all over her body, referred to as a dark morph that is not as common as the medium-brown color of Red-Tailed Hawks.

Dalton is a Rough-Legged Hawk of unknown sex. He came to us in March of 2003 after being shot in the wing. Upon being examined, it was determined that most of his wing was dead and therefore had to be amputated, causing him never to be able to fly again.

Paco is a male adult Great-Horned Owl who came to us in January of 2004. He sustained severe head trauma, most likely a result of being hit by a car, which left him partially blind. In addition to vision loss, Paco is imprinted on humans and therefore cannot be released. Paco is quickly becoming a favorite due to his calm temperament.

Yakala is a resident at Sarvey Wildlife Care Center permantely because he had part of his wing amputated. He lives in the Education Building.

This busy beaver affectionately named Aspen will soon be released from Sarvey when a good home is found. Meanwhile, he's the sweetest guy! He loves head scratches and his favorite food is yams and rodent chow blocks.

Update: Aspen was released!! Yay! It was very difficult to find him a home because he needed an established pond with no beavers in it. The people whose property he was released at will keep a distant but watchful eye on our wild brother!

These three manly Bald Eagles are being rehabilitated and will hopefully be released back into the wild.

Two of the four Barred Owl chicks that are being raised and rehabilitated at Sarvey. The cutest thing about these guys is they sleep laying on their tummies and love to play in their water dish.

All bark and mostly no bite (gotta keep an eye out!), its a Great-Horned Owl chick. This is one of three of these guys currently under Sarvey's care. Two of the three are being housed with the permanent Great-Horned residents, Stargazer and Athena, so they will learn how to be wild owls.

Post Script: The two Great-Horned chicks being fostered by Athena and Stargazer were released! Read about it in the Seattle Times

A Big Brown Bat that was living in an office. Unfortunately, this little guy could not fly and he later died.

This Blue Heron chick sure looks like a newborn baby giraffe when it walks! I think its legs are bigger that its body!

Post Script: This little heron is now becoming a big adult. We now have two more Great Blue Herons that are being rehabilitated. They cannot be caged together because they will attack each other. Herons defend themselves by using their beaks as lances. They can poke your eye out with those things!

Deer season has only just begun and already Sarvey has six fawns. Fawns get imprinted really easily, so no talking while you feed or clean them!

Post Script: Sarvey later had eleven fawns, but five mysteriously died. Three of the remaining six were finished with vaccines and were moved to the deer field. They are still on formula twice a day, but they also get greens, fruits, veggies, and bread to get them to eat on their own. The fawns in the field have the added advantage of interacting with the two adults.

Update: All six fawns are now down in the field and are weaned.

Update: The fawns, which don't look like fawns anymore (they lost their spots!) are ready to finally be released.

A huge part of interning at Sarvey is feeding baby animals. This little raccoon is getting some yummy formula. A little known fact is after you bottle feed baby mammals, they must be burped like people!

Post Script: We now have about 60 baby raccoons that are all outside and getting stronger every day. Sarvey has done very well this year in preventing imprinting, and as a result, as the raccoons get older, they get meaner. It sounds terrible, but the fact that they don't like us means that they are becoming wild.

Its a cute baby skunk! She actually doesn't smell, but she could spray if she wanted to. She makes the cutest noises and I wish I could take her home.

Post Script: The picture on the left shows the skunk, who later was joined by five others, the day she was released. She remained very friendly and will be missed.

This black bear has been at Sarvey since she was a cub. She came through her exam with flying colors! Soon, she will be released!

Update: Our black bear was released August 17, 2004! She weighed in at more than 100 lbs. Pretty huge gain from the 20 lbs she was when she arrived.

When dealing with Great-Horned chicks you must follow these simple instructions: 1. Those talons are sharp and can hurt you a lot if they really wanted to. Great-Horned Owls have 400 lbs. of closing pressure per talon and 40 lbs. per talon of opening power. In other words, if they really wanted to, they could break your arms and it would take a person per talon to pry them off you. 2. Always use gloves unless you REALLY know what you're doing. 3. Have control of the head and feet before doing anything. 4. Towels and nets are a must for catching. And finally, 5. Have respect and confindence or you're just playing with fire.

Probably my favorite patients at Sarvey are the four river otters! They are so cute and cuddly it is hard not to play with them! Unfortunately, we can't pet or play with them because that would imprint them and they need to stay wild. It doesn't help that they're little love bugs!

Post Script: Tragically, our sweet baby, pictured on the right, that had been raised since before her eyes were open, died on July 18, 2004 from aspiration of milk. She had just reached 14 weeks old; the age when otters are weaned. Another otter died the next day from pneumonia. They will be sadly missed by all who worked with them.

Update: I was going to update when I heard these guys had been moved outside, but things got really busy. Now, the darling otters are huge, hunting, swimming, and generally being monsters! They have finally, and sadly (my babies!) been released!

Outside in this owl flight there are five Barred Owls. One of them refused to be in the picture and is off to the right. These guys need to get a little older before they are released. The Barred Owl is widespread in North America, and they occur across most of the eastern half of the continent from Florida northward to southern Canada; they are also spreading westward in the north of their range, and already occur in Washington State. Barred Owls prefer deep moist forests, wooded swamps, and woodlands near waterways. They are closely related to the Spotted Owl. The only major difference between the two is that the Barred Owls have bars on their feathers and Spotted Owls have spots.

Update: All of the barred owls have been released!

That's because these guys are Northern Saw-Whet owls like Sarah. Neville, the adult in the back, is a permanent resident because he is blind, and unlike Sarah, he is really sweet. He is teaching the chick in the front how to be a genuine Saw-Whet. Northern Saw-whet Owls inhabit coniferous and deciduous forests, with thickets of second-growth or shrubs. They occur mainly in forests with deciduous trees, where woodpeckers create cavities for nest sites.

Update: The Saw-Whet has successfully hunted and will soon be released!

Actually, these Western Screech Owls don't really make the loud, high-pitched noises you would think they'd make. It actually sounds like a woodwind instrument with "bouncing ball" notes. Western Screech Owls inhabit a wide variety of habitats from Alaska to Mexico to Colorado.

Post Script: For some unknown reason, the owl on the left took a turn for the worst and passed away. The chick was later joined by two others and they are now in an outside flight.

Update: The three Screech owl chicks passed their hunting test and were released!

Like your typical housecat, Bear the Bobcat loves to lay in the sun and sleep the day away. Bear was confiscated from the illegal pet trade and is a permanent resident at Sarvey because he is imprinted on people and cannot hunt for himself due to the fact that he had been someone's pet. Many people buy exotic animals, such as big cats, thinking that they would make good pets, especially if bought as babies. However, those cute babies grow up to be destructive and dangerous and they are often abandoned or euthanized. Thankfully, this Bobcat will live out his days protected and loved.

Its coyote season and there are three coyote pups currently at Sarvey. The one on the left is our first, a little female hit by a car, and the two on the right are her and a male. The third not pictured is a male with mange, which is a parasite that causes itching and severe scabing. With supportive care, it is hoped that he'll do well enough to recover.

Post Script: The coyote with mange was later able to go outside and the three were joined by two more pups. The five coyotes have established a pack system, with the lowest member continually hiding under a log.

Update: Two of the five coyotes died from unknown circumstances, including the mange puppy. It is believed that the mange pup had a slow bleeder somewhere in his body that caused seizures, blood in the stool, and anemia. The other three are doing very well and will soon be released.

Update: All coyotes have been released!

A very creative name for this Golden Eagle resisdent at Sarvey. Golden Eagles are huge! Females can weigh 4050-5720 grams and males 3550-4400 grams. Notice that the females are larger than males? That's common among all raptors. Goldens occur in nearly all habitats of the western states, from desert grasslands to above timberline. She is pictured with Jim, the ambulance driver and her daddy, on the left.

Just to show you how huge Bald Eagles are, even juvenile ones like the one I am holding. They are very heavy, too!

Update: This juvenile Bald Eagle was released! Read about it in the Herald

I would like to state from first hand experience that this Prairie Falcon bites...hard! Nanji is a permanent resident at Sarvey and lives in the Educational Building. These guys reside in the U.S. from Central Washington and Southern Idaho and Montana to Arizona to Colorado. They are not found on the WA-OR-CA coast because the typical habitat consists of open and treeless terrain, such as sagebrush desert, with nearby cliffs.

Squirrels are a favorite at Sarvey because they are so hilarious! This little guy is in an outside cage waiting to be released. He reminds me of a puppy asking, "Will you take me home?"

This box tortoise of some kind is the coolest guy! Someone found him wandering around in the street and brought him to Sarvey where he quickly made lots of new friends. He is not indigenous, so he had to have been someone's pet at one time. Thankfully, he was adopted by an employee.

When this Canada gosling came in, she couln't even stand. Soon, she was walking around like it was nothing. Unfortunately, she failed to gain strength and stopped walking. She was later humanely euthanized.

Can you guess what kind of birds these cute fuzzies will grow up to be? Let me give you a hint: "Mine! Mine! Mine!" (it helps if you've seen "Finding Nemo"). They're Sea Gulls! Aren't they adorable?

Some people were keeping this baby beaver for a month and treating it like a ferret. They fed it crap and it had probably never seen water or formula. A Fish and Wildlife agent convinced the people to turn the animal over because of some wounds, which are theorized to be from a dog. She is doing much better at Sarvey where she gets good food and lots of attention. Beavers are the only babies that can be cuddled because if they aren't, they die.

Update: Sadly, I came in one morning to find this little one dead in her cage. A necropsy revealed that she was basically rotting from the inside due to the poor diet she was fed. She also had a huge abcess on the inside of her leg that was impairing her ability to walk. Basically, nothing inside her was normal, and there was nothing we could have done to help her.

An adult Bald Eagle undergoes a wing injury exam by our clinic director Sue McGowan and our raptor expert Kestrel SkyHawk (not pictured). Later, this eagle was moved outside with the other three eagles.

In my experience, falcons are dorks that are neurotic and bite like crazy. These two were no exception. Notice the color difference? The bird on the right is a juvenile from the Washington Mutual Tower and the one on the left is older, but still a juvenile, from another area. It is unknown why there is such a color difference. The juvenile on the right was later taken to become a falconry bird and the other was moved outside.

They sure look like aliens, but they are in fact opossum babies. Opossums cannot suckle, so they have to be tube fed. The pinkies' mother was hit by a car and died, so we took over their care. Another opossum at the facility had other babies in her pouch, so these guys were placed with her. The older babies came in with their mother, who later died. They are eating on their own and doing well.

This is my foster Douglas Squirrel, who I have named "Squirt." She eats every four hours, five times a day. When she eats, she likes to stretch out and enjoy the goodness. It will be hard to give her up, but I know she will have a great life in the wild.

A couple weeks after fostering Squirt the Douglas Squirrel, she opened her eyes! I really felt like a mother then. My baby is growing up so big! Now that her eyes are open, she gets little goodies to munch on between meals.

Squirt gained three brothers and two sisters in the form of these adorable Eastern Gray Squirrels. These two were cuddled up after a feeding and I thought it was the most precious thing I had ever seen! They kind of remind me of the Yin and Yang symbol.

I think fostering squirrels is so much better than human kids because A) They're smaller and fit easily into a carrier, B) They don't talk (much...a couple make a high-pitched squeek sometimes), and C) They all go right to sleep after each feeding and stay asleep until its time to eat again. Plus, they're so much cuter!

It's Squirt in an outside enclosure getting acclimated to the goings on in that big old scary world! A couple weeks after being outside, she was released near Sarvey! The person who released her will make sure Squirt eats by leaving her food.

Update: The person who released Squirt by her house has reported that she is doing great!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, I made little bandanas for my little Eastern Gray foster squirrels. It was so I could tell who I had fed. Plus, it made it easier to name them! The squirrel in green is Ari, red is Russell, blue is Victor, purple is Eva, and pink is Yukon. If you put the first letters of their names together with Squirt's, it spells SARVEY! I know, I'm sad.

At 5 weeks old, my Eastern Gray foster squirrels opened their eyes and said hello to the world! After that, they became much more active and liked to explore! A week later, they were retured to Sarvey and are now eating regular squirrel food, fruits, veggies, and formula from a bowl. I had so much fun being a squirrel mama, and I will miss my kids dearly.

Update: All my kids have been released!

These are the nine Barn Owls hanging out at Sarvey. Soon, they will be evaluated for release by hunting them, checking for injuries, and making sure their feathers are waterproof.

Those raccoons sure get their hands in places they shouldn't be! When you clean and feed them, you better not bend over or you'll suddenly feel a cold hand in your pants! They love to touch everything because their hands are hundreds of times more sensitve than ours. They touch their food all over to make sure it's edible. It's kind of like a toddler sticking things in it's mouth. Water increases their hand's sensitivity, which is why they put their food in water; they are not actually cleaning the food!

Update: To the great relief of all the volunteers who work outside, all the 60 raccoons have been released!

Sadly, my internship at Sarvey had to come to an end. The wonderful people gave me a final send-off complete with a German Chocolate cake, mint chocolate ice cream, and a really cool framed Sea Otter painting. There were hugs, a few tears, and heartfelt goodbyes all around. The whole gang is pictured on the left. In the back, from left to right: Me, Tami, Sue, Marissa, and Kathy. The woman seated in front of me holding the cake is Leslie and in the very front is Kaye, Sarvey's founder and director.