Guest writer for the weekly update: Cooper's Hawk

So, we still have injured accipiters in house here at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program.  All accipiters are extremely high-energy, and there's one in particular--a Cooper's Hawk--who's getting on my nerves.  It's like someone gave him a triple shot of espresso and asked him to sit still in a corner.  Forget about it.  So in an effort to keep my manic neighbor calm and quiet for an hour or so while I catch some daytime shuteye, I offered him the job of writing this week's update.  Good night, and good luck!
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It appears that the evil animals that walk upright and poke me with very sharp, tiny, pointy things (the Owl calls these creatures "Humans") all gather together once a week and talk about us Raptors. They call it "Rounds", but I call it "plotting my demise". So they plotted my demise last night, and this is what they said:

First, they talked about the other Cooper's Hawk that was here, the big gorgeous female who could have squashed me like a bug.  So hot.  She came in about one moon before me, after hitting a window in a Human house and shattering it.  She broke her skull, too, but she never let that get her down, and she was always trying to kill the Humans.  She was awesome.  So, she's been missing for two days, right, and I'm thinking the worst has happened, that the Humans plotted her demise, and followed through on it!  And I'm listening in on this meeting of theirs hoping to hear what they did to her, right, so I could be ready to kill the next Human to come near me, but then they said they released her.  In an "area with fewer windows" they said, and then they all laughed.  Huh.  I wasn't expecting that.  What did she do to them to make them let her go?  I hope I figure it out soon so I can get them to release me as well.  My wing is almost completely better, and I was spending all my time flying in tight circle in this little cage they had me in, and almost escaping every time the Humans tried to catch me, and I guess the Humans didn't like that because this morning they moved me to a much larger cage.  Now I can really begin strengthening my wing and preparing for the day I manage to escape.

Anyways, they also talked about a Sharp Shinned Hawk (he hit a window, too, like me and the other Cooper's), and how he's in a really big cage and how he's flying so fast that no one can seem him long enough to judge how his wing is healing.  They all laughed at that, too.  Then they started talking about releasing him! I have to figure this out!

After the Sharpie, they talked about an American Kestrel that's in the small medical room where the Humans use the pointy things.  She was my neighbor until I moved out today. She got here after I did, and she says she was hit by something (like a car) that messed up her head and her balance, and then she was chewed on by a cat for awhile.  She's been having a really rough time standing up and holding her head straight and eating and everything, but yesterday she started eating on her own, and now she can stand sometimes, and she holds her head the right way more often than she holds it the wrong way, so I think she's getting better, too.

Then the Humans talked about the Bald Eagles.  There are four of them, and I can't keep them straight, but I know that there are at least two that are doing well and getting stronger and healthier. I hope they leave soon because their fish stinks and they poop everywhere. Bald eagles are so gross.

There's also a Red-Tailed Hawk that they call the Undead Red-Tail because he's been sick with a mystery illness for two moons now, and he just won't get better, and because he has no blood in his veins, and because he had this weird lesion thingy in his throat for a long time. He's only a kid, but he's really mean and vicious, but he's still a little subdued because he's trying to fight off whatever infection he has, so he hasn't had a chance to unleash his fury. The Humans don't know this, but when he's finally feeling well they'd better watch out!

After that the Humans starting talking about something called "Renaissance Festival" and started walking around in these really weird clothes, and I lost interest and left, so then I went back to my...OOH, QUAIL!!!  KILL IT!!! OH, IT'S ALREADY DEAD...EAT IT!!!
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...Wow, accipiters have short attention spans.  Thanks for reading, I'll be back on board tomorrow! 

General summary and Open House wrap-up!

Good morning to you all!  With the hubbub of the annual Mother's Day Open House last weekend, I got a little distracted from updating my blog, so this entry will be full of information for you.

First off, we released another bird!  The Great Horned Owl with the luxated elbow flew out of here on Monday, so big congratulations to him and to the Humans who helped him (both medically and financially)!  When he was released, he flew up to a tall tree, perched on the tiniest branch available, and was promptly greeted by a very displeased and noisy American Kestrel.

As for the other birds in rehabilitation, there are still four Bald Eagles in house!  And they're still eating like pigs, so if you have a surplus of trout to donate to us, we'd love to have it!  Whole and frozen is best. Call the RMRP for details.

There are also the three accipiters (forest-dwelling bird-eating hawks) going through rehab.  All three of them were likely window strikes, with the Sharp-Shinned Hawk being caught by a cat afterward (talk about a bad day).  All three are doing well, destroying button quail with no regard for the mess they're making, and steadily healing their injuries. I hope they get out of here soon because their energy level is waaay higher than mine, and I can almost feel the air humming around them while they're here!  Makes it hard to sleep, grumble, grumble....

On a sadder note, the Humans admitted an American Kestrel the other day that had been caught in a woodpecker trap.  I'd never heard of a woodpecker trap, so I looked them up and found out some interesting information: live traps are generally ineffective, so the kind of "trap" that is more commonly used is a snap-type rat trap mounted on the side of a house or placed in a nest box (which is where the Kestrel ran into one--"Ooh, look, a nice home for me to raise a family in!"...not).  They're allowed as a last resort for woodpecker removal, but require a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  To any Humans out there with a woodpecker problem, please do your research and try to find more humane ways of getting rid of woodpeckers before resorting to lethal trapping (there are plenty of humane methods to try).  For the record, the American Kestrel caught in the woodpecker trap didn't make it.

Now, onto some good news!  The Open House was a huge success!  Enormous thanks to everyone who came by to check out where I live, meet my neighbors and friends, purchase items in the gift shop, and donate generously!  I was resting in my cage for the day, but the birds who did come out say they had a good time, and the Humans were in high spirits! Thanks again!

Hm, there are Humans coming into my cage!  I have to put away my computer and act owlish!  Bye!