I was ready for some new jobs other than squirrels, and when we got to the center today, the boss was talking about someone tending the outdoor cages. I knew that included 3 owls and 2 hawks, so I claimed the job!
Later I found out I was going to get put on baby birds, which probably would have been a little more exciting, but I joined to learn mainly owls, so I stick by my choice. There's going to be no shortage of baby birds anyway.
Owl poop thankfully seemed to scrub up rather easily. That was the bulk of my interaction with them.
I fed the pair of Screech Owls, named Harry and Steve, tiny mice, one each. I didn't see them, but I hear they eat pretty fast. Me being the new person must have made them a little shy, because it took more than the 5 minutes they said, but one of them did come out at some point when I was somewhere else because one was gone by the end of my shift.
I fed the Broad Winged Hawk a bigger mouse, and the Cooper's Hawk and big baby GHO I just got to clean, not feed. GHO didn't eat its last mouse though, so I put it up on the perch again for it.
I was glad I had basic knowledge of owl behavior, as this baby is grumpy! He was hissing and clicking constantly at me, but I knew he was just protecting himself and wasn't a threat to me.
I could tell it was eating though, as I picked up a few pellets. I don't think I'd ever held one before. They were lighter than I expected, but I shouldn't have expected mouse bones to weigh very much. It has a hollow feeling to it. They were pretty dry, and had a feel something like a cocoon or wool/felt.
Mainly I was happy to get a better pic of it than the one I got last week that got all pixelated. I still gave it respectful distance, so it's still not great, but it was already disturbed by my being there so its care comes before good pics.
Other fun things were making a delicious Mother's Day feast for the opossum so she has proper nutrition to raise her babies. She got quite the variety of stuff!
Saw this nest of birdy babies getting checked in while I was doing laundry.
A lot of squirrels are getting big and ready for release. I asked where were my free squirrels, and I got sent home with the 3 troublemakers from the end of our shift.
I am giving them a soft release, so their cage will stay on my patio for a week and I'll leave them food and water, but the door is open so they can come and go as they please until they venture off to the woods.
I thought they'd flee right when I opened the door, but they didn't move. One of them was out exploring the patio and eating random birdseed and climbing in my beets, but they're all in the cage napping now.
