This past weekend has been particularly busy it seems, and we still are caring for over 100 birds for the time being. While it has been busy, I have been trying to take as many photos as I can, as well as some videos to better document my experience. Once my phone starts behaving, I will definitely be putting them up here as well.
One of the most unique intakes this week was a crow. I realize I've only been doing this for a short month and a half, but bringing in a bird that large was definitely out of the ordinary. Upon examining him, we had a hard time pinpointing any specific injury or problem, despite the fact that he did not give humans much trouble handling him. It is this unusual behavior in itself that shows us that he needs some sort of special care. We have been medicating him with antibiotics and NSAIDS (drugs that reduce inflammation and pain) as a precaution, but ultimately are still trying to determine why he is acting so strangely. Because of some scarring on his beak, we believe he is an older bird and may simply be at the end of his years.
From my understanding, we are also looking into the possibility of him having West Nile Virus. West Nile has been attributed to a high number of deaths in American Crows in some areas, particularly New York City and St. Louis. While the risk of a West Nile outbreak in crows is minimal due to the fact they are only partially migratory, it is still a possibility that we are operating around. Unfortunately, crows with WNV show no symptoms and generally die very quickly. It is unclear as to why crows are especially susceptible to WNV, but it appears to be something specific to this family of birds.
Cornell University has a very thorough and interesting web base for information on birds, as well as a page on crows and WNV. If you are interested, here it is.
We also received a juvenile Ruby-Throated hummingbird. These birds are usually the center of attention and are so fun to watch. It's quite easy to get distracted into watching them for long periods of time. While we feed most of the birds in the center a formula specifically for songbirds, the hummingbirds get syringes filled with a nectar formula very similar to what you could buy in a nature store, like Wild Bird Unlimited. It's pretty amazing how small they are, and how quiet they can be when they hover around. Simply put, they are extremely cute.
What was probably the most exciting part of the weekend for me was the wrangling of a mother duck and her 9 ducklings. Oddly enough, the family was walking down our very street. Though we do not handle waterfowl and usually refer birds of that variety to someone more specialized, it was not a possibility. Our Center closes at 9pm and we spotted the duck family at about 8:30pm, a time a bit too late to contact anyone. Instead, my supervisor, another intern and I, and a volunteer all locked up the Center and followed the ducks with nets and carriers. Mom was quickly caught, leaving all 9 ducklings to scatter into the bushes and beneath a porch of a neighbor residence. It took close to half an hour to find all of the ducklings, but soon Mom and babies were together again. We brought them back to the Center, made them comfortable for the night, and decided to take them to a place much safer than downtown Ann Arbor in the morning. It was definitely out of the ordinary for us, but it was a unique experience and really rewarding to know that they would be much happier and safer when released.
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