The Birds and the Bee

I showed up at Bird TLC on Wednesday, March 6, 13 and 20. On the 6^th I graduated from cutting up fish, meat and chicken for the birds, although I'll be back at it at some point.

One of the eagles needed some ointment put on its feet.  Lifting one of these mightly birds can be difficult, but this one was not fighting with the handler.

Anyone handling the birds must be very careful to hold the feet and legs, and to not approach from the front of the bird.  These talons can be deadly.

It's just that there's a lot to do to keep the birds fed, watered, healthy and clean. Feeding alone, medicating and doing all the prep work is quite time-consuming. But sad news … one of the bald eagles did not make it. I know it happens, and many that come here do not, but an eagle is so much more than just a bird. It's a large, bird that is spectacular to see in flight. And I see many of them as I ride Turnagain Arm each summer on my motorcycle. When I see an eagle, it's been a great day.

The first eagle mew I've cleaned.

There's always laundry to be done ... towels, blankets, volunteer smocks.  Kodi is always available to oversee the process.

Blankets, large, medium and small towels, sheets.  All are used in caring for the birds at the Center.

The first item on the agenda for me that day was to help get the Golden Eye duck out of its pen so we could clean its space. A towel, a lunge and a gentle hold on the wings so they couldn't flap. While I held it, another helper applied ointment as the bird has an abrasion on its breast, and no feathers. Therefore, it's not waterproof and cannot be released. Then I deposited it into a dog kennel.

The Golden Eye is the only bird I've handled so far.  But what a thrill to touch, even through a towel to help keep it from struggling and injuring itself further.

Cleaning of mats, perches, dog kennels and everything to keep birds clean and healthy requires a lot of elbow grease, and the volunteers provide it ... all without complaints.  These teams are the best.

I folded laundry, cleaned surfaces, helped organize supplies on shelves, and tried to learn as I went, following others around as they did various tasks. It was a great day. Worked a lot, learned a lot, felt like a contributor.

On occasion, a bird can't or won't eat.  Sometimes meds are contained in the food.  It can then be necessary to "tong" the bird.  The meds are put into the food and one of the assistants will put the food on tongs and get the food to the bird's beak.  Much of the time if you make it easy enough and simple enough, the bird will take the food from the tongs, as well as the meds. 

On the 13^th I showed up again and shadowed another worker. Or maybe I'm stalking them. I helped clean the Golden Eye's pen, cleaning it, helping put the mesh back in for it to stand and eat on, putting water back in and plugging in the heater. Then we put the Golden Eye back in his pen.

Maybe this is where the term "eagle-eye" is coined.

There are a lot of eagles … seems like there are more every week I show up … and they are being hit by cars. They like to be in the roadways chumming down on roadkill (the easy way to get food), and being big birds, they can't just up and fly to get away from a vehicle traveling who knows how fast down the road. They're like a big plane needing some runway to get off the ground before being airborne. It's sad to see that these beautiful, majestic birds, the symbol of America, taking such a beating.

Another eagle injured by vehicle.  A bad wing and other injuries.  The place for them to be is at Bird TLC where they will be cared for and nursed back to health if at all possible.

But I do know that when they arrive at the Bird TLC they get the best care they can because the volunteers and the folks that work there are more than dedicated. They truly love what they are doing no matter how dirty the job, how time-consuming, how manual the labor.

Checking out the raven's wing.

The same day a raven was brought in … with a possible problem with a wing and foot. Time will tell. Meds are given to many of the incoming to make them comfortable, to deal with pain, and to help them until the vet comes to do a complete exam.

The raven was still able to grip.

I helped move an owl, and just pitched in where I could. The group I was working with that day was large, so while we were kind of tripping over each other, it worked and worked well. We got the work done, and there's always some time to chat with each other, to learn about each other and find out what brought some folks to volunteering here at the center.

How to catch a Bohemian waxwing?  Very stealthily, and carefully.

Probably the most fun of the day was helping to flight test a Bohemian waxwing. There were three of us who teamed up to catch it in a large stand-up cage containing three waxwings. It was finally corraled and put into a small container.

All kinds of containers can hold a little bird, complete with a little blanket.

Then we took it to an office and turned it loose … after shutting the door, of course. It flew, although it needed a little prompting. Determined to be successfully flight tested and ready for release one of the ladies took it home to release near her place with other waxwings. It was fun and exciting to see a bird who has been deemed healthy enough to release. Many birds who come to the center do not make it … a sorry fact of life.

Oh yeah, this baby can fly.  Usually it's the owl chasing after the waxwing.  There's a little role reversal here with the stuffed owl.  Maybe the waxwing is just showing off, knowing he won't be lunch for the owl.

Other exciting news was that two of the eagles would be packaged up and taken to the flight center out at JBER. This is where they are tested for flight and hopefully released back into the wild soon thereafter.

It's never exactly the same at the bird center, and that is what's appealing. And where else could you get a close up view of bald eagles, which are among my top three bird favorites, and so many others.

Kodi, the cash crow, is always willing to put a little cash in a container for a mealy worm.

Yum.  Mealy worms. 

Look at those boots with a ruffle.  Charlotte is stylin' as she works on cleaning one of the eagle mews.  You never know what you're going to see ... which is what makes it so interesting to be a volunteer at the Bird TLC.

How do you go about feeding a Mallard?

Very carefully.  He was an excellent patient and shortly after returned to his cage.

I showed up at the center March 20, and there were a number of us again. The Golden Eye had been moved, I cleaned his pen, and I made Kodi, the cash crow, earn a few mealy worms. Sharon was going to give a presentation at one of the elementary schools to a group of pre-schoolers. As we had so many folks there, I asked if I could tag along to learn and see how presentations are made.

With the look in Kodi's eyes and the way he's standing, I think he's hanging out with eagles too much.  He appears to have the eagle stance down pat.

Sharon was showing a Northern sawwhet owl, named because it makes a sound like someone sharpening a saw. They also make sounds like a truck backing up … beep, beep, beep. It's called Totoba, Menominee Indian for the sawwhet. Toto for short.

Miss Sharon conveys her joy at showing Toto to the youngsters, which made for a fun time for everyone ... adults, youngsters and presenters.  Even Toto behaved admirably for being around pre-schoolers.

These owls were first discovered on the east coast of Canada. It's the smallest resident owl in Alaska. It probably stood about 8-9 inches tall, and weighs about as much as a McDonald's quarter-pounder. It's mostly feathers.

Toto is an education bird because he is basically blind in one eye ... you can see the difference in his eyes. 
The bright yellow one is a typical good eye.

Toto is what is called an educational bird. He was injured and cannot see out of one eye, so he's not  releasable. He was quite calm around the youngsters, who were excited to learn about him and the songbirds that were also on display.

This photo shows the beak on Toto.  He may be a small bird, but he is mighty, and a creature of beauty.

Miss Jo presented with five songbirds, called passerines. She had two robins in one cage; a crossbill, a hermit thrush and a Bohemian waxwing in a second cage. The three sometimes had a bit of a squabble and would open their beaks and make some wild sounds to let the other know it was not a happy bird. The kids were enthralled watching them.



Miss Jo obviously enjoys educating youngsters about songbirds.



One of the two robins kept an eye on everyone, seemingly as curious about those outside of the cage, as those outside were of the robins inside the cage.

Both Sharon and Jo had visuals, a wing and talon, feathers, two nests with wooden eggs. There was so much for young ones to see so they could learn about the birds, all the while re-emphasizing that the birds are wild, they are not pets, and it is our responsibility to take care of them. Then it was done, and the kids were off to lunch. It was another great day and something different.

I also found out the Bird TLC is having its big fund-raiser at the Egan Center in April, so I'll have to check into what that's all about. More to come.

Princess Bee-a-trix, nearly fully-dressed.  She is a head-turner.

And now a word about the bee.  On another day Hobbs and I drove out to Denali Harley-Davidson in Wasilla. I'd gotten word that Princess Bee-a-trix was nearly finished getting her new clothes … and I certainly was not disappointed. Thank you to DHD, and Dia for her suggestions, Shrek for knowing me too well, and Matt who did the work … for all they've done to get her ready for her debut at the 2013 bike show. She is beyond bee-u-ti-ful … look out, she doesn't sting!!

I have plenty of yellow Harley shirts to match Princess Bee-a-trix.