It’s time to look back on 2024! Check our blog between Christmas and New Year’s for a variety of stories and memories of 2024 from the staff and volunteers of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
On July 11th, an Osprey nestling presented to us with a very sad and compelling history: it had been plucked from its nest by an eagle! The rescuers who saw this event take place did what they could to scare the eagle, who then dropped the nestling. We never recommend interfering with nature, but since the eagle had left and the Osprey was injured, we admitted it to our hospital for treatment. When the Osprey arrived, it was bright and alert, and had some puncture wounds from being grabbed by the eagle. No other obvious abnormalities or injuries were noted on the intake exam or initial diagnostics.
While we treat many raptors at the Center, Osprey tend to be much more challenging to care for due to their high-stress levels in captivity and specialized hunting/diet requirements that are difficult to replicate. Additionally, nestling and fledgling raptors are at high risk for imprinting and habituation, so special precautions need to be implemented to mitigate that risk. Nevertheless, we took on the challenge of caring for this patient!
We implemented pain management, antibiotic treatment, and wound care protocols for this individual, and our rehab team went the extra mile and recreated a nest for the Osprey! This bird responded very well to our treatment plan and was even eating small amounts when tease-fed by our rehab team. Within a few days, the bird's wounds had resolved, and the Osprey was deemed ready for release.
Once the Osprey's injuries had healed, we faced a new challenge – this bird was too young to care for itself out in the wild and should, ideally, be returned to its nest for continued care and rearing by its parents. Sadly, this Osprey's nest had been targeted by the eagle, and the parents had not been seen in the nest since the nestling arrived at our hospital. Ultimately, we felt it was not appropriate to return the Osprey to its original nest, so we had to come up with an alternate plan. Luckily, we have an incredible network of volunteers and rehabilitators, so we reached out to our network in search of a foster nest!
It didn't take long. Less than a week after arriving at the Center, this Osprey was successfully re-nested in a foster nest! We were so excited to receive photos from the rehabilitator who helped us re-nest the bird showing the foster mom caring for this individual.
This case was a perfect example of outstanding care provided by our veterinary and rehab team, as well as an exceptional collaborative effort of WCV and rehabbers across the state to get this individual back out into the wild where it can thrive! It was so heartwarming to see the "after" photos of this individual in its new foster nest, and it helped solidify this case as one of my favorites from this year.
— Natalie Zimmerman, Veterinary Intern