Peregrine Update from Animal Rescue League Wildlife Center, 1 July 2015, 11:40am via Facebook … for the bird known as “Silver”:
“Wildlife Center staff took the falcon to be examined by Dr. Robert Wagner yesterday evening. A complete physical examination was conducted. The formerly missing primary feathers are almost completely grown, but our licensed rehabilitators & the veterinarian agree that the bird displays neurological deficits. A blood sample was taken to gain insight on these inconsistencies. A test is also being conducted to rule out lead poisoning. Supportive care will continue as the test results are pending. The falcon will continue to be treated by Wildlife Center staff.”
(photo courtesy Animal Rescue League Wildlife Center Facebook page. Click on the image to visit their Facebook page)
Thank you again for keeping us posted on the little guy.
Kate. Wondering if they were able to determine male or female.
Judy, I quoted ARL completely. They do not mention the sex.
Thanks, Kate. I am hoping there is a future of some sort for this little guy.
Thanks Kate.
Thanks, Kate, for the info and for posting the photo.
What about the secondary feathers? I thought thatnthere weren’t any on the right side and that it would take a year before they would grow?
Mari, I have quoted the report exactly as written.
I don’t know about secondary versus primary. I have not seen the bird since he went off camera.
The good news is: “The formerly missing {primary} feathers are almost completely grown.” This probably means there’s no need to wait for a year for the right wing’s feathers to grow.
The bad news is: “our licensed rehabilitators & the veterinarian agree that the bird displays neurological deficits.” This probably means he can’t survive in the wild (hunt on his own) — but we have guessed that to be the case for a while now.
Thank you for the update. It is good to know that Silver is in good hands and being cared for. How have Dorothy and E2 been since he was rescued. Since the timing was about right, do you think that they believe that he just fledged and is now on his own? Or is it naive to think that they don’t know better?
Nick, they know he is gone but this is normal for them, not because he would have left by now (he is too young) but because 60% of their young die (or go missing) every year. I doubt they are grieving. The situation is ‘as usual.’
Thanks for the update Kate. So good to see this photo of our special falcon. S/He still looks beautiful and great to know primary feathers have grown in….that’s got to be a good sign.
Thank you so much for keeping us up to date as much as possible on our young special needs fledgling. Do you have any idea why they haven’t let anyone know if this is a male or female falcon? I haven’t seen any reference to which it is, and I would have thought that would be one of the first things they might have found out, now that he/she is older.
So nice to have the camera up and running, so we can follow Dorothy and E2 still.
Barbara H, I do not know anything about the sex nor even whether they have tested.
The picture shows what a truly beautiful bird Fuzz is. I know most folks now call him Silver, but to me this bird will always be Fuzz! Whether male or female! Thank you for the update.
Thank you so much Kate for the great updates. We always look to you to keep us posted to these things. I pray that Silver (Fuzzy) will continue to thrive and can be a teaching falcon if not able to be released into wild. We just all fell in love with this beautiful bird. Had a tough life so far. So happy he is being cared for by people that care.
Thanks for the update Kate
Dorothy and E2 are model parents. I still think of the outcome as positive, given that we did not even know if Silver would survive to fledge. I’m so glad it didn’t end with Silver dying on the street or flying into a window. This remarkable bird is providing a rich learning opportunity for all of us, including the experts looking after him. Thanks for the updates.
Thank you Kate for the updates & thank you ARL & everyone involved in helping sweet lil Fuzzy! I’ve followed since his egg was laid. I’ve fallen in love with the little trooper! Proud of him & his amazing parents!
Thanks for the update on our beloved silver. He/she is in good hands. I hope that the little one will be able to live a long life regardless of his problems. I am routing for him as I as well have been following his progress since a week after he was hatched. Go Silver!!
Dorothy looks thin???
Patti, you are mistaken about Dorothy being thin. E2 comes to the nest, too, and was there this afternoon. In fact, in the past week E2 has been at the nest more often than she has. E2 is 1/3 smaller that Dorothy.
And … beyond the size difference between male and female peregrines, all birds look ‘fat’ or ‘thin’ depending on how much they fluff their feathers. When birds feel hot they hold their feathers closely to their skin and look thinner than when they are cold. Cold birds fluff out their feathers to expand the down close to their skin and retain warmth. They compress the down to squeeze out the heat and cool off.
p.s. If someone says they saw Dorothy challenged on camera on Sunday 7/5/15, they are wrong. See this comment in response to B.Hancey: http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2015/07/06/from-a-different-angle/#comment-161249