An update on the injured eaglet, sent from Kay Neumann, Executive Director, SOAR:
"X-ray shows oblique humerus fracture about an inch from the shoulder joint. Dr. Dirks will do surgery on Wednesday to pin..."
See the rest of her statement from Monday, as well as other updates, news and answers below.
"X-ray shows oblique humerus fracture about an inch from the shoulder joint. Dr. Dirks will do surgery on Wednesday to pin..."
See the rest of her statement from Monday, as well as other updates, news and answers below.
Monday, June 23
9:45 AM RRP: [ In past years, we've seen pretty easy fledges. This year, Decorah got 4.89 inches of rain between June 14 and June 20, most of which seemed to come the day following D18 and D19's fledge. While insect bites could also have played a role, we believe the extreme weather was even more disruptive. SOAR has mentioned taking in a sudden influx of patients following the storm and I'm reaching out to a few other people I know in the rehab/observer community to see what they are experiencing. The storm seriously impaired early fledge and Mom and Dad's efforts to find the fledglings. ]
D20 continues to hang around the fish hatchery. She has been found by Mom and Dad, and fed by Dad. She was seen flying to concrete slabs four feet off the ground and a concrete wall six feet off the ground yesterday, although she was back on the ground this morning. We ask that everyone please stay back and give her and the parents room.
SOAR Update on the Decorah juvenile Eagle: He ate a little bit last night. Kay will do food and fluids again this morning and then they will head to the vet office for x-ray. Keep your fingers and talons crossed!!
(re: the ID of the injured eagle at SOAR) We don't yet know. We'll see if we can get photos for ID later today, but getting the eagle care has been top priority so far.
(re: the location of the 3rd fledgling)
We still don't know where one of the fledglings is. People have been actively searching for it, but it hasn't been seen yet. We've also been observing the parents, but they haven't been able to show us where to look. The extreme rain following the fledge of D18 and D19 severely disrupted fledge this year.
(re: insect infestation on D20) I'll ask him (Bob A.) about insects. I do know she was hungry - he mentioned that she ate two full quail and all of a third except the feet in the 18-20 hours that he held her. Even for a fledgling eagle, that's a very healthy appetite.
(re: the release of D20) She was released on the Hatchery ground and did some flying, and then Dad came to feed her fish.
From SOAR: We do not sex with blood tests. Right now we aren't doing any needle sticks, to reduce disturbing him as much as possible. Also, it would have to be sent away and take three weeks. We will post a pic when we can, they will try when they are at the vet. Kay will keep a close watch on the bug bites and apply medicine if necessary. They are very close to the eyes so don't want to apply an ointment if possible. Bug bites are common and a part of life when you live outdoors. Besides the food and fluids he was administered an oral anti-fungal/anti-bacterial medicine called metronidazole. It neutralizes stuff in the stomach so if they haven't eaten or eaten something not so yummy - it is just a precaution and it should help the bug bites. The bites already look better!! They should heal on their own. Xray is scheduled for 2:00 CST. We will let RRP and all of you know the results this afternoon asap. We have been receiving donations and we are so very grateful. Kay reports that he is perkier and talking a bit!!
(re: Following Mom or Dad to the third juvenile) We've been watching both parents and they haven't led us to #3 yet. That doesn't mean they didn't find it, since we can't watch 24×7, but we have tried that tactic. There are people who are attempting to keep an eye on Mom and Dad, hoping that they will give us a clue as to the where abouts of the 3rd Eaglet. Unfortunately Mom and Dad do a LOT of soaring and riding the thermals sometimes it is difficult to tell what their final destination is.
The trail is near the nest so you are probably hearing people walking by and some may be walking dogs in the area. The microphone on the cam can sometimes pick up a lot going on around the nest area on a quiet day, including the sound of voices and maybe even a dog at one of the houses nearby.
~SOAR Update on the Decorah Juvenile Eagle: June 23, 2014~
[ From Kay Neumann, Executive Director, SOAR:
"X-ray shows oblique humerus fracture about an inch from the shoulder joint. Dr. Dirks will do surgery on Wednesday to pin. Will get plenty of food and fluids in him/her between now and surgery"
[The humerus is the large bone between the coracoid (shoulder) and the radius and ulna (elbow)]
Also, in addition to the food and fluids he/she was administered, an oral anti-fungal/anti-bacterial medicine called metronidazole was given. It neutralizes bacteria in the stomach in case they haven't eaten or have eaten something not so yummy - it is just a precaution and it should also help the bug bites, which are looking much better
We have no information on the gender or the ID of this eaglet at the time of this post. We are trying to get a photo to post here very soon. Raptor Resource Project can attempt to ID through pictures at a later time. We would like to thank Raptor Resource Project for the collaborative effort with this Bald Eagle, and for the trust given to us to treat!
We would also like to give a big THANK YOU to all of the fans and followers that have donated to SOAR! All donations go straight to patient care, food, and treatment supplies, and they are greatly needed and appreciated! Will the eaglet be able to return to the wild? We don't know at this point. But its prognosis is considerably better than it was Sunday morning when Bob pulled it out of the creek. We will see what happens moving forward. ]
This type of fracture is probably caused by a collision of some sort, but I do not believe Kay can ascertain that from just an exam and x-ray
(re: determining if the eagle will be able to fly again) It is too early to speculate on outcomes, surgery first! Eagles who have suffered this injury have been released in the past. We will need to see how the eagle heals and how it does with surgery.
Decorahian1 posted in Chat: (right before chat closing) Decorahian1: Hi: ALL just back from Hatchery. Dad was in Maple & Mom on "Y" in N1 so Juvie is somewhere in between, as leaves make it hard to spot her, that's all I could see now.
We will have to wait for the surgery and time for healing to know if this Eagle will be able to be released. His wing will be immobilized for 3-4 weeks to heal, then another 2-4 weeks in ICU with limited movement. Then he will be moved to the flight pens for exercise and muscle training. So it will be a long time. We have some wonderful foster Eagle parents and some other Eagle patients he can hang out with while he gains his strength. Please note - We still do not know the outcome for this bird. We have to wait and see how the healing goes along with everyone else!
No sightings yet of the third eaglet.
SOAR is VERY experienced at not only healing the broken bones and torn ligaments but they are also experts at rehabbing the raptors , teaching them the skills that they need to survive in the wild. Since SOAR is doing surgery, they have every reason to believe that our Eaglet can be rehabbed and released.
(re: how can we know this is an eaglet from the nest) We are pretty sure this is a Decorah eaglet. Most likely, Mom and Dad would not allow other eagles into their territory.
RRP will ID this one at a later time.
(re: the gender of the eaglet at SOAR) I'm going to wait for measurements or a feather test.
(re: a question asking if the eaglet at SOAR is in any pain) I honestly don't know if this type of fracture would cause pain or not but I do know that SOAR will help with pain relief if it is warranted. That is a wonderful question for SOAR. We've been extensively involved in peregrine falcon breeding, release, and monitoring, and Bob has held and trained birds of prey. But I'm not familiar with pain management in recuperating birds of prey.
(re: eagles' fear of humans) In my experience working with birds of prey, they are often frightened of humans but tend to struggle less when held firmly and with confidence. The eaglet is being held very securely and its wings are under control - especially important - so it is keeping still.
All of us hope that the eaglet can be returned to the wild but if it can't, it will have a home somewhere. That is much better than the outcome if we hadn't pulled it out of the stream and SOAR and the veterinarian hadn't administered treatment.
(re: asking if the pin will remain or be removed) We will ask the Dr. and that can hopefully be posted in a future update. Pins usually remain, but if an external fixator is used (a plate to hold the pin and bone in place), the fixator is removed
We don't know how the eaglet was injured. It may have had a hard landing - that seems fairly likely - although we are also wondering if it ended up in rushing water at some point, since there was extensive flooding in Decorah immediately after D18 and D19 fledged.
(re: a question asking if the parents will continue to look for the eaglet at SOAR) The parents have already found D20. I'm not sure that they will miss this one. Augmentation work done with birds of prey indicates that they don't tend to distinguish between one and more especially well.
The eaglet is eating well but it may be a while before we know anything about release.
(re: a request for a camera on the Decorah eaglet) I don't know that a camera in the flight pen would be a good idea. It might take away too much staff time when our focus is on the care of all of our patients and education ambassadors. They are our first priority. We love doing educational programs, education and research are part of our mission!
SOAR just got the eaglet yesterday and it was seen by a vet earlier today. We can't give any information about release yet because we don't have it. There are protocols and guidelines for determining health and recovery, but we just found out what was wrong a few hours ago.
9:45 AM RRP: [ In past years, we've seen pretty easy fledges. This year, Decorah got 4.89 inches of rain between June 14 and June 20, most of which seemed to come the day following D18 and D19's fledge. While insect bites could also have played a role, we believe the extreme weather was even more disruptive. SOAR has mentioned taking in a sudden influx of patients following the storm and I'm reaching out to a few other people I know in the rehab/observer community to see what they are experiencing. The storm seriously impaired early fledge and Mom and Dad's efforts to find the fledglings. ]
D20 continues to hang around the fish hatchery. She has been found by Mom and Dad, and fed by Dad. She was seen flying to concrete slabs four feet off the ground and a concrete wall six feet off the ground yesterday, although she was back on the ground this morning. We ask that everyone please stay back and give her and the parents room.
SOAR Update on the Decorah juvenile Eagle: He ate a little bit last night. Kay will do food and fluids again this morning and then they will head to the vet office for x-ray. Keep your fingers and talons crossed!!
(re: the ID of the injured eagle at SOAR) We don't yet know. We'll see if we can get photos for ID later today, but getting the eagle care has been top priority so far.
(re: the location of the 3rd fledgling)
We still don't know where one of the fledglings is. People have been actively searching for it, but it hasn't been seen yet. We've also been observing the parents, but they haven't been able to show us where to look. The extreme rain following the fledge of D18 and D19 severely disrupted fledge this year.
(re: insect infestation on D20) I'll ask him (Bob A.) about insects. I do know she was hungry - he mentioned that she ate two full quail and all of a third except the feet in the 18-20 hours that he held her. Even for a fledgling eagle, that's a very healthy appetite.
(re: the release of D20) She was released on the Hatchery ground and did some flying, and then Dad came to feed her fish.
From SOAR: We do not sex with blood tests. Right now we aren't doing any needle sticks, to reduce disturbing him as much as possible. Also, it would have to be sent away and take three weeks. We will post a pic when we can, they will try when they are at the vet. Kay will keep a close watch on the bug bites and apply medicine if necessary. They are very close to the eyes so don't want to apply an ointment if possible. Bug bites are common and a part of life when you live outdoors. Besides the food and fluids he was administered an oral anti-fungal/anti-bacterial medicine called metronidazole. It neutralizes stuff in the stomach so if they haven't eaten or eaten something not so yummy - it is just a precaution and it should help the bug bites. The bites already look better!! They should heal on their own. Xray is scheduled for 2:00 CST. We will let RRP and all of you know the results this afternoon asap. We have been receiving donations and we are so very grateful. Kay reports that he is perkier and talking a bit!!
(re: Following Mom or Dad to the third juvenile) We've been watching both parents and they haven't led us to #3 yet. That doesn't mean they didn't find it, since we can't watch 24×7, but we have tried that tactic. There are people who are attempting to keep an eye on Mom and Dad, hoping that they will give us a clue as to the where abouts of the 3rd Eaglet. Unfortunately Mom and Dad do a LOT of soaring and riding the thermals sometimes it is difficult to tell what their final destination is.
The trail is near the nest so you are probably hearing people walking by and some may be walking dogs in the area. The microphone on the cam can sometimes pick up a lot going on around the nest area on a quiet day, including the sound of voices and maybe even a dog at one of the houses nearby.
~SOAR Update on the Decorah Juvenile Eagle: June 23, 2014~
[ From Kay Neumann, Executive Director, SOAR:
"X-ray shows oblique humerus fracture about an inch from the shoulder joint. Dr. Dirks will do surgery on Wednesday to pin. Will get plenty of food and fluids in him/her between now and surgery"
[The humerus is the large bone between the coracoid (shoulder) and the radius and ulna (elbow)]
Also, in addition to the food and fluids he/she was administered, an oral anti-fungal/anti-bacterial medicine called metronidazole was given. It neutralizes bacteria in the stomach in case they haven't eaten or have eaten something not so yummy - it is just a precaution and it should also help the bug bites, which are looking much better
We have no information on the gender or the ID of this eaglet at the time of this post. We are trying to get a photo to post here very soon. Raptor Resource Project can attempt to ID through pictures at a later time. We would like to thank Raptor Resource Project for the collaborative effort with this Bald Eagle, and for the trust given to us to treat!
We would also like to give a big THANK YOU to all of the fans and followers that have donated to SOAR! All donations go straight to patient care, food, and treatment supplies, and they are greatly needed and appreciated! Will the eaglet be able to return to the wild? We don't know at this point. But its prognosis is considerably better than it was Sunday morning when Bob pulled it out of the creek. We will see what happens moving forward. ]
This type of fracture is probably caused by a collision of some sort, but I do not believe Kay can ascertain that from just an exam and x-ray
(re: determining if the eagle will be able to fly again) It is too early to speculate on outcomes, surgery first! Eagles who have suffered this injury have been released in the past. We will need to see how the eagle heals and how it does with surgery.
Decorahian1 posted in Chat: (right before chat closing) Decorahian1: Hi: ALL just back from Hatchery. Dad was in Maple & Mom on "Y" in N1 so Juvie is somewhere in between, as leaves make it hard to spot her, that's all I could see now.
We will have to wait for the surgery and time for healing to know if this Eagle will be able to be released. His wing will be immobilized for 3-4 weeks to heal, then another 2-4 weeks in ICU with limited movement. Then he will be moved to the flight pens for exercise and muscle training. So it will be a long time. We have some wonderful foster Eagle parents and some other Eagle patients he can hang out with while he gains his strength. Please note - We still do not know the outcome for this bird. We have to wait and see how the healing goes along with everyone else!
No sightings yet of the third eaglet.
SOAR is VERY experienced at not only healing the broken bones and torn ligaments but they are also experts at rehabbing the raptors , teaching them the skills that they need to survive in the wild. Since SOAR is doing surgery, they have every reason to believe that our Eaglet can be rehabbed and released.
(re: how can we know this is an eaglet from the nest) We are pretty sure this is a Decorah eaglet. Most likely, Mom and Dad would not allow other eagles into their territory.
RRP will ID this one at a later time.
(re: the gender of the eaglet at SOAR) I'm going to wait for measurements or a feather test.
(re: a question asking if the eaglet at SOAR is in any pain) I honestly don't know if this type of fracture would cause pain or not but I do know that SOAR will help with pain relief if it is warranted. That is a wonderful question for SOAR. We've been extensively involved in peregrine falcon breeding, release, and monitoring, and Bob has held and trained birds of prey. But I'm not familiar with pain management in recuperating birds of prey.
(re: eagles' fear of humans) In my experience working with birds of prey, they are often frightened of humans but tend to struggle less when held firmly and with confidence. The eaglet is being held very securely and its wings are under control - especially important - so it is keeping still.
All of us hope that the eaglet can be returned to the wild but if it can't, it will have a home somewhere. That is much better than the outcome if we hadn't pulled it out of the stream and SOAR and the veterinarian hadn't administered treatment.
(re: asking if the pin will remain or be removed) We will ask the Dr. and that can hopefully be posted in a future update. Pins usually remain, but if an external fixator is used (a plate to hold the pin and bone in place), the fixator is removed
We don't know how the eaglet was injured. It may have had a hard landing - that seems fairly likely - although we are also wondering if it ended up in rushing water at some point, since there was extensive flooding in Decorah immediately after D18 and D19 fledged.
(re: a question asking if the parents will continue to look for the eaglet at SOAR) The parents have already found D20. I'm not sure that they will miss this one. Augmentation work done with birds of prey indicates that they don't tend to distinguish between one and more especially well.
The eaglet is eating well but it may be a while before we know anything about release.
(re: a request for a camera on the Decorah eaglet) I don't know that a camera in the flight pen would be a good idea. It might take away too much staff time when our focus is on the care of all of our patients and education ambassadors. They are our first priority. We love doing educational programs, education and research are part of our mission!
SOAR just got the eaglet yesterday and it was seen by a vet earlier today. We can't give any information about release yet because we don't have it. There are protocols and guidelines for determining health and recovery, but we just found out what was wrong a few hours ago.