Preserve Post - Winter 2014

A Short Stay
It’s amazing how quickly some
animals recover and move on
from the Preserve’s Wildlife
Research and Rehabilitation
Centre. Song birds suffering
from concussions can spend as
little as 48 hours, while a Great
Grey Owl with multiple fractures
can be just 4 short weeks. In
the owl’s case, it was a broken
clavicle (wish bone) and scapula
(shoulder blade). Because those
bones can’t be set, they just need
enough time for swelling and
pain to subside and scar tissue
to form around and stabilize the
breaks.
However, sometimes it’s not the
injury that stops the bird from
leaving. We have
a tundra and a
trumpeter swan who
are in good shape, but
their injuries caused them to miss
migration. Releasing them here
would be a death sentence.
They’ll remain here with us
“The Good Stuff”
This fall we received a
concussed Pine Grosbeak
that had spent time in the
Department of Environment’s
“drunk tank”. A series of
seed and berry eating birds
were allegedly hitting “the
good stuff” - fermented
Mountain Ash berries - a
little to hard. It’s possible
this led to these same
birds hitting the bad stuff -
windows - a little too hard.
We’re also speculating that
as an ornamental species
in Yukon, Mountain Ash
Rehabilitation...
until we can arrange an alternative
migration. In this case, migration
will consist of an Air North flight
to warmer climes!
is often planted close to windows.
The proximity of a food source
to windows can be an important
contributor to increase collisions.
Either way, we’re glad this grosbeak
gets a second chance!
Winter 2014
Clockwise from top right: Justine with the Great Grey Owl; an x-ray showing the
broken clavicle and scapula; a Pine Grosbeak launches to freedom; a tundra and
a trumpeter swan wait for a ride.
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