!!! Another After Hour Call - Tisssss the season! Second production year for the unknown and elusive Airport strip pair!
July 11, 2014 - International, National and Local News
Mark Nash Reports:
July 11th - 2014
To the rescue - again. Manpower, resources time and allot of tender loving care by all! If these birds only realized what we have all been through to help them,, (they’d likely think that we were all a lot crazzzzy). Perhaps they maybe right,,,, but we’re all in good company, and I’m certainly not alone!!
The next call came from Mark Heaton from the OMNR, with an injured fledgling in hand that was retrieved and rescued from the ground in the west end of Toronto near the Toronto airport. The young female fledgling was likely produced from our elusive pair of peregrines that have been nesting and producing offspring out at the airport hotel strip,, (a pair that we have yet to locate their actual nesting site). This would be the second year in a row that a young fledgling has been retrieved and rescued in distress from the ground in this same neighbourhood.
The plan was for Mark to keep the bird overnight, band it, and get it to Tracy Simpson from the CPF to transfer to the CPF raptor centre where Mark Nash from the CPF would pick it up from there and get it to the avian vet. Because the birds injuries were not at all life threatening and no medical emergency existed, we would be able to schedule an appointment with the vet as opposed to declare this situation a medical emergency and disrupt other existing patients scheduled appointments at the veterinary hospital.
The fledgling spent the first night with Mark Heaton, where he was able to band it. Mark’s daughter - Kethra helped Mark with the banding, fed it, and named it “Aveda”
So, as planned, and like a tag-team, Tracy hooked up with Mark Heaton the nest morning to pick up the fledgling, drove it to the CPF Raptor centre. where Mark Nash was her connecting flight from the CPF Raptor centre to Dr. Markus Lackwaldt, CPF’s avian vet, for a medical examination and treatment.
Its lucky that the birds injuries were not life threatening, as it would have surely died with all of the traffic congestion as a result of the construction on every major east and west roadway across the top and bottom of the city!! Almost 5 hours stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and an entire tank of gas for this round trip!!!
In any event, the net results were well worth it! After more than an hour of examination and treatment, the young female fledgling - “Aveda” was cleared to be released back to its parents after a short 24 hour hold over to observe its behaviour and function. The young female fledgling was surprisingly in very good condition, a good weight - (850 grams), and no superficial injuries or broken or fractured bones. Bruised and shaken as a result of its grounding, with the usual lack of confidence that easily defeats the young fledglings, it was starting to exhibit the feisty peregrine attitude by the end of the examination.
The bird was rehydrated in addition to receiving a liquid vitamin and mineral supplement, and with a full belly of some of the best food supplement that it will ever likely get, was released back to our care under Dr. Luckwaldt’s supervision for a 24 hour hold-over period for observations. If everything goes as we suspect it will, the young “Aveda” should be back to its parents (who ever they are) by tomorrow.
Stay tuned………
