By Sarah the Intern
One of the great things about being an intern is that all kinds of folks are looking for people to help them out with their work. One of the hard things about being an intern is that most of these folks are either unable to or don’t want to pay you. Fortunately for me, I am gainfully employed, leaving me free to explore other aspects of my chosen field in my free time. Recently, I was asked to help Dr. Charles Preston out with some of his research. When you’re an intern, it’s never a good idea to turn down an opportunity for experience, and it’s never a good idea to turn down an opportunity from the guy who’s in charge of the museum you work out of. That’s how I got to spend a day with Chuck, Nathan, and Brandon trying to trap golden eagles.
The first nest was empty, but nest site two yielded one juvenile wedged firmly in a hole in a cliff. As a child, I subscribed to the idea that when a baby bird was ready to fly, it’s mother lovingly shoved it from the nest. The baby would spread its wings and fly gloriously into the sunset, a fully-fledged adult at last. It turns out that, in reality, fledglings are really bad at flying. They’ll hang out on the ground for quite a while. During this time the parents will feed their offspring on the ground while it gets the hang of this whole flying nonsense.
Our plan was to take advantage of this. Nate and Chuck would attempt to frighten the bird out of the hole, while Brandon and I tried to look big and encourage it to fly to a low area. Chuck would then throw a blanket over it and grab it. Let me give that a minute to sink in. Here’s an idea for you. Teasdale, our great horned owl, could tear your face off if he was really inclined to, and he weighs about three pounds. On average, a wild golden eagle weighs 10 – 12 pounds and can weigh up to 14 or 15 pounds.
Fortunately for our faces, but unfortunately for my deep desire to see Chuck grapple with a golden eagle, we were unsuccessful at chasing the eagle out of his hole. He leaned out over us mockingly as we picked up prey remains for study. I figured he’d start flying the day after we left. It turns out that I may have a future in the field of psychic readings.
Another opportunity popped up a little while later. A downed owl was found completely covered in oil and in desperate need of help. Once again, permit restrictions kept me from actually taking part in the rescue, but I did get a close up look at the process. The owl was in really bad shape, and even several detailed washings only barely revealed that he was an owl at all. Despite his condition, he was able to be force fed and was also able to stand on his own. The consensus was that the poor bird had a chance as long as he hadn’t ingested too much oil attempting to preen himself.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The owl made it for a few days, but eventually succumbed to the ill effects of the oil. I feel bad for him, but even worse for the folks who tried so hard to make him better. I wish he hadn’t had to suffer so much. I learned that this is a lot of what rehabilitation is. Sometimes they are saved, but a lot of times they can’t be. I would rather not be a rehabber.
On the bright side, the Draper Museum Raptor Experience has been given some wonderful news. In the next month or so, we are hopping to add a fifth member to our avian ambassadors. After a long period of wondering about a potential Texas screech owl, we were informed that there was a northern saw whet in need of a home from the same Utah facility who brought us Teasdale. Needless to say, we jumped at the opportunity. After a week or so of keeping it to ourselves for fear of jinxing it, the word has finally been spread. Everyone both inside and outside of our program is incredibly excited for our hopeful arrival.
This is one of the things I love about the Center. Everyone takes an interest in our birds. Now, we can’t completely celebrate until we actually get her, since there’s all kinds of ways this sort of thing can go wrong right up until the last minute. So keep your fingers crossed and pray to the deity of your choice on our behalf. Also we’re looking for some name ideas. Something cowboy or naturalistic is what we’re looking for. We also think she’s a girl.
Falconry Terms in Layman’s Terms
Term: Mutes
Falconry Definition: The droppings or excrement of raptors.
Layman’s Terms: There’s nothing mute about them. Also a common way for a turkey vulture to decorate your glove.
