2011 spring.pub - Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue

Newsletter
El Paso / Las Cruces
Vol. 22, Spring THE EAGLE 2011
Northern Mockingbird
BIRDS
American Bittern 1
Brewer's Blackbird 1
Red-winged Blackbird
1
Yellow-headed
Blackbird 1
Mountain Bluebird 1
Western Bluebird 1
American Coot 1
Eurasian-Collared
Dove 28
Inca Dove 43
Mourning Dove 228
Ringed Turtle Dove 11
Rock Dove (Pigeon) 213
White-winged Dove 915
Mallard Duck 49
Mexican Duck 1
Northern Shoveler
Duck 1
Ruddy Duck 1
Wood Duck 13
Golden Eagle 3
Cattle Egret 5
Snowy Egret 3
Exotic/Domestic/Pet 27
Peregrine Falcon 2
Prairie Falcon 3
House Finch 137
Varient Finch 1
Gilded Flicker 1
Northern Flicker 4
American Goldfinch 3
Lesser Goldfinch 3
Canada Goose 1
Domestic Goose 1
Ross's Goose 1
Snow Goose 1
Boat-tailed Grackle 3
Great-tailed Grackle 166
Eared Grebe 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Western Grebe 1
Black-headed Grosbeak
5
Ring-billed Gull 1
Cooper's Hawk 18
Harris's Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 23
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5
Swainson's Hawk 29
Black-Crowned
Night Heron 10
Great Blue Heron 3
Green Heron 8
Black-chinned Hummingbird
32
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
19
Rufous Hummingbird
2
Dark-eyed Junco 3
American Kestrel 44
Killdeer 3
Western Kingbird 22
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1
Common Loon 1
Merlin 1
C D W R * El Paso / Las Cruces
Northern Mockingbird
69
Common Nighthawk 4
Lesser Nighthawk 2
White-breasted Nuthatch
2
Scott's Oriole 1
Barn Owl 16
Burrowing Owl 15
Flammulated Owl 1
Great-horned Owl 24
Saw-whet Owl 1
Parrots 15
Phainopepla 1
Ring-necked Pheasant
1
Say's Phoebe 11
Pine Siskin 4
Common Poorwill 3
Phrrhuloxia 1
Gambel's Quail 97
Scaled Quail 2
Townsend's Solitaire 1
Sora Rail 1
Virginia Rail 1
Common Raven 1
Roadrunner 9
American Robin 74
Red-naped Sapsucker
1
House Sparrow 202
continued on page 2

BIRDS—continued
Black-throated Sparrow
1
European Starling 17
Barn Swallow 44
Cave Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 10
Tree Swallow 3
Green-winged Teal 3
Curved-bill Thrasher 15
Hermit Thrush 1
Canyon Towhee 1
Bell's Vireo 1
Gray Vireo 1
Turkey Vulture 5
MacGillivray's Warbler
1
Orange-crowned
Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler
1
Cedar Waxwing 4
Whip-poor-will 5
Ladder-backed
Woodpecker 5
Cactus Wren 1
House Wren 3
Grand Total Birds 2798
MAMMALS
Brown Bat 1
Mexican Freetail
Bat 2
Beaver 1
Bobcat 3
Ringtail Cat 2
White-nosed Coati
1
Mule Deer 3
Domestic/Exotic/
Pet 11
Gray Fox 2
Jackrabbit 17
Field Mouse 1
Black-tailed
Prairie Dog 2
Cottontail Rabbit 79
Raccoon 10
Kangaroo Rat 1
Hognosed Skunk 1
Spotted Skunk 1
Striped Skunk 4
Mexican Fox
Squirrel 2
Mexican Ground
Squirrel 3
Rock Squirrel 5
Longtailed 1
Grand Total
Mammals 153
Hog nosed Skunk
REPTILES &
AMPHIBIANS
Common House Gecko 1
Green Iguana 1
Chihuahuan Spotted
Lizard 1
Texas Horned Lizard 1
Black-tailed Rattlesnake 2
Prairie Rattlesnake 1
Western Diamond Rattlesnake
2
Black-headed Snake 1
Corn Snake, Leucistic 1
Sonora Gopher Snake 1
Horned Toad 1
Russian Tortoise 2
African Sulcata Tortoise
1
Bolson Gopher
Tortoise, MX 1
Hermann's Tortoise 2
Texas Berlandier's
Tortoise 1
Desert Box Turtle 102
Eastern Box Turtle 1
Ornate Box Turtle 18
Red-eared Slider Turtle 27
Yellow Mud Turtle 1
Grand Total Reptiles
& Amphibians 169
Texas Berlandier's Tortoise
Page 2
C D W R * El Paso / Las Cruces

Call these folks in the El Paso/Las Cruces area when you find an injured/orphaned wild bird/animal:
EL PASO AREA
CDWR CHIEF DISPATCHER
915-772-6011
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Lorraine Snelling .............................................................. 592-9642
REHABILITATORS
Central/East
Bill Howe (turtles/snakes/lizards/small exotics) ................ 772-0695
Northeast -
Charles/Carrol Bella (raptors/reptiles/mammals) .............. 751-4711
Deacon Foote (turtles) ....................................................... 757-9330
West -
Carol Miller (birds, water birds) ...................................... 584-7088
Josie Karam (small mammals/birds/turtles) ....................... 920-7867
Sarah Forrestal (small mammals/birds) ............................. 588-6467
Geoff Wiseman (reptiles/snakes) ................................ 915-525-0261
COOPERATING VETERINARIANS
Central -
El Paso Veterinary Hospital, 4101 Montana ...................... 566-7387
Montana Animal Clinic, 1015 Chelsea .............................. 778-9588
El Paso Animal Emergency Center, 1220 Airway ............. 545-1148
East -
Johnsen Animal Hospital, 1851 N. Lee Trevino ................ 592-6200
Desert East Animal Hospital, 11635 Pelicano ................... 855-4100
Eastwood Animal Clinic, 9509 Montana ........................... 593-0713
Americas Animal Clinic, 630 Americas Ave. ................... 858-1971
Animal Clinic, 7184 Alameda ........................................... 778-5355
Northeast -
Skyline Veterinary Hospital, 4424 Titanic ........................ 755-7647
Northeast Veterinary Clinic, 9405 Dyer ............................ 755-2231
Harwood Veterinary Clinic, 4404-A Edgar Park ............... 755-5653
West -
Crossroads Animal Hospital, 4910 Crossroads ................. 584-3459
Country Club Animal Clinic, 5470 Doniphan ................... 833-0645
Anthony Animal Clinic, 901 Franklin, Anthony TX ......... 886-4558
TRANSPORTERS/TROUBLESHOOTERS
Northeast -
Joe/Inga Groff .................................................................... 755-2957
Nancy Bain ........................................................................ 822-9228
Rhonda Niswanger………………………………………..449-5450
West -
Susie Jensen ....................................................................... 877-4036
Jane Poss ................................................ (h) 587-8831, (c) 390-8052
East -
Linn Anderson ................................................................... 859-5413
Our list is getting shorter! We need help!
Please call and volunteer!
* CDWR DIRECTORY *
www.whc.net/cdwr
LAS CRUCES AREA
REHABILITATORS
Tracie Buffington (tortoises)………………………...575-644-9297
Sharon Culver (rabbits)……………………………..575-373-9802
Toni Harper (small birds)……………………………575-644-4085
Pilar Hinde (waterbirds, raptors, mammals)…………575-382-1753
Krystle Williams (doves)…………………………….575-636-3416
SILVER CITY
Margaret Cejka (birds, excluding raptors) ................ 575-537-6624
COOPERATING VETERINARIANS
Jornada Vet Clinic, 2399 Saturn Circle..................... 575-382-1710
East Lohman Vet. Clinic, 1700 E. Lohman .............. 575-523-5654
TRANSPORTERS/TROUBLESHOOTERS
Abe Mendoza ............................................................ 575-382-1732
Jack Diven Family ................................................... 575-642-3603
C D W R * El Paso / Las Cruces Page 3

Board of Officers
President: Susie Jensen
Vice Pres.: Marcia Fulton
Secretary: Inga Groff
Treasurer: Mary Anderson
Board of Directors
Diane Fox
Dr. William Snyder
William Wolff
Vacant
Vacant
Newsletter Editor
Susie Jensen
The Purpose of CDWR
Wildlife rehabilitation is the
care of injured or orphaned
wildlife for return, where possible,
to the wild. Successful
rehabilitation takes a lot of
time, a lot of effort and no
small amount of money.
It is challenging work, done
by special people. Chihuahuan
Desert Wildlife Rescue
is a nonprofit organization
which exists to help the rehabilitators
in the El Paso/Las
Cruces area. Our purposes are
to:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
* CDWR *
El Paso / Las Cruces
provide a volunteer network
to assist active rehabilitators
in their work
support wildlife rehabilitation
programs financially
provide education and instruction
in wildlife rehabilitation
educate the public about
wildlife conservation
problems
work for the reduction of
pressures on native wildlife
from domestic animals
and humans
Spring Love
About four or five weeks ago I was awakened to the lovely courting song of
the male Curved-bill Thrasher sitting on top of my 8 foot fence behind my 8 foot tall
cholla. This is the third or fourth year for this same bird. I know it is the same
thrasher as he has an injured left wing which he drags as he runs across the yard. He
is able to use it a bit and
can fly/leap or is it leap/
fly and is quite adept at
getting up into tree
branches, on my roof,
along the stone wall or
perching on one of his
favorite spots in and on
top of the cholla.
After a number of
weeks of singing with
only doves, cowbirds,
grackles and sparrows
showing up, along comes
a possible mate. I guess
it was love at first sight
because they were spending a lot of time in the cholla.
The nests from previous years have since blown away but now there is great
construction underway. Both birds are running back and forth carrying beaks full of
building material. Some of the pieces are 12 inches long. I have a hard time imagining
how this thrasher carrying a twig horizontally as long as he is can maneuver it up
through the thorny branches of the cholla, but he does. The female usually brings
smaller pieces and both arrange and rearrange.
I have gotten close enough to see that a lovely nest is being created, but I
don't want to get too close to disturb them. I love sitting on my patio watching the
goings on from a distance of about 10 feet. Neither Nero, my lab, or Shadow, my
malamute, pay any attention to them and they don't seem to be distressed by their
presence.
I do hope that they are able to produce some little ones. In the meantime I
just watch. And in watching I was surprised to see a pair of pyrrhuloxia, but they
prefer brush to nest in, so they were just passing through.
- Nancy Bain, Northeast
In Memory of
Alan Phelps
You Will Be Greatly Missed
Godspeed, our Friend
Page 4
C D W R * El Paso / Las Cruces

Seen on the Back Roads
of New Mexico
I took these photographs on the back road from Timberon, NM. This guy is a regular on the side of the road. I see
him quite often and I always try to have my camera ready when driving the road. The turnoff is just after the border
patrol check station on 54 heading north. The shots were taken March 9 th , 2011.
- Corbin Phelps Sr.
Yeah, Lunch!
As a wildlife rehabilitator, situations happen that at first seems normal to you. It’s not until it is seen and heard from
someone outside of rehabbing when things can get funny. When my children were growing up, they understood to
never open anything wrapped in foil in the freezer and that gathering food for baby birds was normal (catching crickets,
grasshoppers, worms, etc). I’m pleased to say that they grew-up to be quite normal.
A routine trip to the grocery store brought home just how peculiar our life really was from a stranger’s point of view.
My self and two daughters, Sundee age 10 and Desiree age 8, got a basket and proceeded to do our grocery shopping.
As we walked through the store, I spotted a large grasshopper in the corner of one of the aisles. I mean, it was the
largest grasshopper I had ever seen. It had to be at least 1 to 2 inches long.
It just so happened that I had a baby burrowing owl at home and the girls had to go out and find insects to help feed
him. There was a sale ad paper in the basket, so I rolled it up and went over and bopped the grasshopper just enough
to stun him. I said “O boy, lunch!” Both girls let out a “yeah!” as they wouldn’t have to look for insects for the owl’s
lunch.
As I bent over to place the grasshopper in the sale ad paper, I noticed that Desi was on the floor laughing hysterically .
I asked her what was so funny? She said you should have seen the look on the lady’s face that was behind us.
To this day I’m not sure if it was my saying o boy, lunch!, or the girls yelling yeah!, that freaked the pour lady out,
maybe it was both, but I’m sure she went home and hugged her husband and kids.
- Marcia Fulton, Former Wildlife Rehabilitator
C D W R * El Paso / Las Cruces Page 5

Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue, Inc.,
P.O. Box 12583, El Paso, Texas 79913
I would like to become a member of
Please note our change of address!
CDWR and help our area’s wildlife.
$25.00______
$75.00______
$50.00______
Amt:_______
Thank you for your support. Your contribution is a
wonderful opportunity to help orphaned and injured
wildlife and to support the efforts of the CDWR volunteer
rehabilitators. With membership you will receive a
yearly subscription (3 issues) of the newsletter.
Name: ___________________________________
Address: _________________________________
City:_____________ State:______ Zip:_______
Phone:_______________ Email:_____________
CDWR is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization
and all donations are tax deductible.
P.O. Box 12583
El Paso, TEXAS 79913
www.whc.net/cdwr
Join us now and help make a
difference for wildlife!
Please note our
change of
address!
NON PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
CANUTILLO, TX
PERMIT NO. 001
Mosquito Control
Despite my forced “remodeling” I still have three small ponds for turtles and other aquatic wildlife that
comes in occasionally. Every spring and summer the ponds turn into hatcheries for huge swarms of mosquitoes
and have needed constant attention – dip netting as many of the larvae as possible, draining and refilling the ponds.
It was a lot of endless work.
I have tried introducing Gambusia (mosquito fish)
that were netted in the canals along the Rio. I never had a
lot of success getting them to reproduce in large enough
numbers to control the mosquitoes. This spring when I
started seeing the larvae in the ponds I tried something else.
I made a trip to PetsMart and picked up about 20 Rosie
Reds (fathead minnows) and dumped them into the offending
ponds. They set me back about $2.00 for the lot. The
very next day the mosquito larvae had disappeared and I
have not seen a single mosquito all summer long. Within about two months I had huge schools of the minnows in
my ponds. They are prolific little fish and are egg layers. When they have devoured all the larvae I supplement
their diet with Wardley's Tropical Fish flakes that I crush to a fine powder in my fingers. They are native to our
upper midwest so very cold hardy. I have heard that they remain active even under a layer of ice.
A very inexpensive, safe and natural solution to a nasty problem. Wish I had thought of this back in 2006
and maybe I could have avoided West Nile Virus that knocked me for a loop for nearly a month.
- Bill Howe