Every year, the WRC admits on average 15-20 Trumpeter Swans, most suffering from lead poisoning (other reasons may include being hit by a car or colliding with a power line). Most of the swans arrive between the months of November and February.

This afternoon we admitted our first Trumpeter Swan of the winter season. This adult was found roaming in a fenced-in field, unable to fly and slightly weak. Upon admission, the swan we learned it was mildly dehydrated, and had bruising to both wrists. Bloodwork revealed that the swan did have a mildly elevated lead level, which would account for his/her weak state and inability to fly (secondary to the weakness).

Swans become victims to lead poisoning when they accidentally ingest fragments from lead fishing sinkers and spent ammunition at the bottom of lakes and ponds. The lead then leaches out of their stomach and into their bloodstream, causing motor weakness and other neurological deficits. The swans eventually succumb to the lead poisoning, usually due to starvation since they can’t move adequately enough to find food.

X-rays of the swan did not show any evidence of lead in its stomach, so we did not need to perform a stomach gavage to remove fragments. If we did see fragments on the x-ray, time is of the essence to remove those fragments to prevent more lead from leaching into the bloodstream.

Luckily for this swan, he/she was found just in time to treat the lead poisoning before it becomes more of an issue! The swan will receive twice daily injections of a medication that will bind to the lead, which will then be excreted by the swan. We hope the swan has a quick recovery and can return to the wild soon!

Yesterday we admitted a Whip-poor-will, which we don’t get in very often.   

Whip-poor-wills are from the same family as Common Nighthawks which we frequently see.  They eat insects while flying, usually at dusk/dawn or on moonlit nights.  In the picture his beak appears small, but when he opens his mouth you can see how large it really is (check back later for video of this!) Since they eat insects they are currently migrating south, where the insect population will be abundant during the winter. 

This bird was lethargic and weak when he came in.  Luckily, after some anti-inflammatories and supportive care, he’s doing great today!  He likely became stunned after flying into a window.  He’ll be released later this evening.

Last week, we admitted an adult Virginia Rail that was found in an alley, a very odd place for a Virginia Rail to be (they prefer marshes and wetlands).

The rail was depressed and had a head tilt, which is indicative of head trauma. He also had some trauma to both of his eyes, and some respiratory congestion. How the rail got to the alley is a mystery; these birds don’t typically fly during the day, only at night (they are considered to be a “nocturnal” bird). He may have been ill to begin with, then attempted to fly during the day and made a crash landing, leading to the head trauma. We hope that he can make a full recovery with us!

You can watch a video on our YouTube channel of me doing a recheck exam on the rail.

Some interesting facts about rails:

A few days ago, a tiny little bird was admitted that had fallen into a pool of water at the Como Zoo. The little one weighed in at only 5 grams, and I was baffled as to what species it was.

I thought maybe a warbler of some sort (since we’ve been getting a lot in lately), but after consulting with a couple other people, it was determined to be a juvenile Ruby-crowned Kinglet! You could just barely see the specks of red on his head if the light hit just right. What a cool patient!!

It’s hard for me to admit sometimes, being a verbal person, that a picture is worth a thousand words.  But there is no better  illustration of that adage than the case of the mangy fox.

In August, WRC Veterinarian Renee Schott blogged about mange in mammals after we admitted a severely dehydrated and mangy female Red Fox.  The fox’s admit photo shows the severe level of mange infestation:

At the time the fox’s condition was very guarded and her prognosis uncertain.  But thanks to the wonderful care of our medical staff she recovered rapidly and has just been released.  Just look at how healthy she is:

Long-time contributors Joe and Shirley Wolf, and WRC founding Board member Paige Winebarger participated in the release and witnessed the fox trotting off for a second chance on life – the evidence of her recovery readily apparent in the photos.

A Blue-headed Vireo was admitted today.  Once classified as part of the solitary vireos group with the Plumbeous and Cassin’s vireos, it is now considered a separate species.  In its range it is the only vireo that makes extensive use of coniferous forests, although it will sometimes occupy deciduous habitats.

The Blue-headed Vireo eats insects that it gleans off of foliage and twigs.  The vireo was admitted after being found grounded in a driveway.  The medical staff is taking x-rays to check for fractures.

Yesterday we admitted our 8000th patient for the year!  Fittingly, it was on the last day of summer.  This is the earliest we’ve hit 8000 patients; it could be a record-breaking year….

The 8000th patient is a Western Painted Turtle with a broken shell.  Turtle shells are made out of a specialized type of bone, and it can be difficult to get them to heal.  We have to fit the pieces together like a puzzle, align them and then stabilize them.  Any movement between the two pieces that need to heal can delay healing–and sometimes it can take quite a bit of force to get the pieces to line up.

Then, we wait–it takes at least 6 weeks for the shell to gain any strength.  Luckily, we were able to wire this shell back into place – you can see some of the wire in the top and middle areas of the “after” photo.

Before wiring:

After wiring:

Renee’s post the other day reminded me of the important work being done by Project BirdSafe.  Originally convened by Audubon Minnesota, Project Birdsafe is a joint effort to reduce the number of birds killed or injured when they collide with structures such as buildings. WRC is proud to be a founding and active member of this program.

A key component to Project BirdSafe is its Lights Out program.  Most birds migrate at night and can be drawn off course by tall, lighted structures in their flight path. Many birds are killed or injured in collisions with buildings or drop from exhaustion after circling them, reluctant to fly out of the light.

Through Lights Out, dozens of companies and business owners have agreed to dim or turn off their building lights during fall and spring migration.

Project BirdSafe needs more volunteers to patrol the base of the buildings to help recover birds that collided with windows (that’s how the Chestnut-sided Warbler found its way to WRC).  Injured birds are brought to WRC for rehabilitation and release (like the Yellow-rumped Warbler above); dead birds are recorded as data.

Each volunteer is assigned a specific course to monitor – we hope you’ll consider joining us and Audubon Minnesota in an effort to protect and save our songbirds.  (an application is available on the Project BirdSafe page, approximately halfway down).

This juvenile Chestnut-sided Warbler was found today in downtown Minneapolis.  These warblers spend the summer in central-northern Minnesota and migrate through southern Minnesota all the way to Central America where they winter.

It reminded me that that fall migration is underway and we’re beginning to see various species of songbirds.  Unfortunately it’s because, as they migrate through the city, they collide with tall buildings and large windows.  Keep your eyes open for stunned songbirds on the ground and give us a call if you find one!

Several days after receiving one juvenile fox suffering from mange, we recieved a second juvenile fox with the same problem. On top of the mange, he was weak, dehydrated, and had diarrhea. Since arriving at WRC, he has gained some strength and his diarrhea has resolved. Hopefully he is on the road to recovery along with the other fox! Mange can take several weeks to months to completely clear, so these two will be with us for awhile.