Christmas in the Hospital & the Hurricane Birds

I'm a bit behind on my blogging because there was a bit of holiday drama around here. I was performing in a production of A Christmas Carol and became very ill on opening day; the doctor said it was flu and I rested during the days and performed at night, but I kept getting sicker and sicker with fevers and fatigue and difficulty breathing. On Christmas Eve, right after the show closed, I went back to the doctor and, long story short, all four lobes of my lungs were full of pneumonia and they sent me straight to the hospital where I spent four days getting IV antibiotics and oxygen--not my most fun Christmas!

My last afternoon in the hospital--can't wait to go home!

When you have an unusually severe case of pneumonia and you work with birds the infectious disease docs run a million tests trying to prove you have some exotic bird disease (spoiler alert: I didn't. Bird rehab is super low-risk and I just had normal human pneumonia. I think the doctors were disappointed.)

I had actually temporarily stopped volunteering at Wild Bird Fund while I was busy with the show, but I had my two Hurricane Sandy birds at home. I found Sebastian the day after the hurricane; he was soaked through and freezing and he went unconscious right after I picked him up. I thought for sure I'd lost him, but a little time under a heat lamp and this miraculous little guy perked right up. Unfortunately, in addition to hypothermia he was suffering from pigeon paramyxovirus (a really nasty bird disease that causes head twisting, spinning, and other neurological symptoms). Many wildlife rehab centers are not equipped to rehab PMV birds and immediately put them down--the recovery time is long (if they recover at all), they are highly contagious to other birds during and after the illness, and they require flight space to repair the atrophy caused by the lengthy recovery time--but Sebastian was such a sweet little darling bird, not to mention he already rose from the dead once! I had the time and the space, so I gave the guy a chance.

Robin the Angry Bird

The day after I found Sebastian I found Robin (aka The Angry Bird); she was walking in heavy foot traffic on 125th, and my gut said something was wrong so I picked her up. Robin had trichomoniasis (a parasite that causes a canker in the throat that keeps them from eating). I got her medication at Wild Bird Fund and had to feed her a liquid diet through a tube three times a day for a month--this is an excellent way to ensure your bird does not become tamed and, in fact, absolutely hates your guts. Because the trich did not make her feel sick, just kept her from eating, Robin's energy level was great and she was not happy about living in captivity. After a month of much flapping, flailing, pecking, squawking and chasing her around my bathroom (the "bird rehab" area of the house) the canker finally fell out and I released her where I had found her. She was THRILLED. She took one look around and made a beeline for a particular ledge--I guess that was home for her.

Poor Sebastian couldn't stop twisting
his head upside down

Meanwhile, Sebastian got sicker and sicker and I was agonizing over what to do. I didn't want to give up on him if there was still hope of recovery, but I also worried that he was dying a slow death and I was prolonging his suffering by tube feeding him and forcing him to stay alive in misery. It was a very tough call--I don't take decisions about when and if to euthanize lightly--but something made me feel like there was hope for this little guy so I waited, and very, very slowly I started seeing little improvements. I was so thrilled! If I'd kept him alive that long and he'd died anyway I would have felt horribly guilty, but it turns out I made the right call because slowly he began to recover. Pretty soon his head twist went away and he was eating on his own and flying all over my bathroom.

Sebastian's release

Sebastian was improving quickly while I was rapidly deteriorating; my infection was making it hard to handle even simple tasks like cleaning the birdcage, so it seemed the perfect time to let Sebastian go after his two month stay. I was very weak and having trouble breathing, but I was so excited for him and managed the walk to the park where I'd found him. Little Sebastian hopped off my hand and over to a flock of pigeons who welcomed him right in; they all pecked around the park a bit and flew off together. I was so happy and proud of my little guy who escaped death not once, but twice. The timing turned out to be perfect because I wound up in the hospital the next day and Sebastian's care was one less thing my husband had to take care of in my absence.

Sebastian (behind) quickly made friends with the other birds

I'm happy to report that I've been home five days, my breathing is almost back to normal and my strength is returning. Most importantly, I didn't have an exotic bird disease, just boring, human-acquired pneumonia, so I can go back to taking in feathered friends soon without fear of illness.

Hurricanes, Sparrows, and Rats (oh my)

I hope all of my readers are safe after Hurricane Sandy. We were remarkably lucky here in East Harlem; the damage in uptown Manhattan was minor.

I sure got attached to these little cuties

Pretty sure I see this guy in the bird bath from time to time--
he's so much fatter and fluffier than all the other birds!

On the night of the storm I managed to get all three sparrows captured and moved inside from the flight cage without losing anyone--it was quite miraculous actually, they are quick and easy to lose (while they were living indoors I spent lots of time chasing escaped sparrows around). I released everyone once the storm had passed and left the cage open and stocked with birdseed so they could come back whenever they wanted. I think I see at least two coming back to the cage for food (it's a little hard to tell them apart from the other backyard sparrows, but I think it's them), but I'm afraid the third may not have survived. I found a little dead bird in the yard shortly after their release, probably the victim of a rat. I can't be sure it was my sparrow, but it seems likely that living in captivity made my guys a little less quick and predator-savvy than the other birds. It was a painful loss--I get very attached to these little birds--but I know I can't protect them forever unless I keep them as pets, and that's not the best life for a wild bird. All I can do now is keep battling the rat problem so it doesn't happen again; I put in a seed catcher so they won't be attracted to the bird feeder, I have repellants and a live trap and of course the dogs to frighten them off. If anyone has humane rat control tips please leave a comment; I really don't want to poison them--they're such cute, smart little animals--but I also can't risk the safety of my birds.

I had to move the bird feeder after this clever guy figured out
how to launch him self off the fence and right into the bird seed.
I know they're pests, but I still think they're pretty cute. 

While all this was going on I picked up two distressed pigeons and set up what I'm calling "Adair's Hurricane Sandy Bird Hospital" in our bathroom (the only room indoors with a door on it to keep the dogs out). These guys are both very sick and are requiring a lot of care, but I'm hopeful they will both recover soon. Their stories to come!

The Birds

No, not the old Hitchcock film (though it is that scary movie time of year)--foster birds. Since getting back from Africa I've been volunteering at the Wild Bird Fund and I've also been taking in foster birds from them to rehab and releasing here at home.

Feeding the baby hummingbird is a favorite chore
at Wild Bird Fund--so little and cute!

So far among the coolest things I'm learning at the Wild Bird Fund are taking and reading bird Xrays (birds have to be taped down so they don't squirm), how to tube feed pigeons, and how to draw blood from birds (their veins are tiny!).

So far I've had several pigeons--it is New York, after all. Pictured below is one of my first WBF fosters, Mary, who still needed hand-feeding until she was old enough to feed herself. She was released shortly after this pic was taken. 

Mary wrapped in her "bird burrito" for feeding time. 

Right now I'm caring for a trio of little sparrows, two boys and a girl. The female had some malformed feathers from malnutrition, so I had to pluck the bad ones out gradually to stimulate regrowth. As soon as she's able to fly well they'll all be off to join our backyard flock.

Time to pluck the bad feathers. Not much fun for her :(

They're adorable, but boy are they a bunch of little troublemakers! One of the males is a master escape artist and he got loose in my bathroom more than once; I would have to chase him in circles and try to extract him from whatever little crevices he managed to squeeze into--they are tiny and fast. Much to my relief, feather plucking is complete and they are living in the outdoor cage until release time. 

They've got strong bites for such little birds!

I can't be mad though--look at that face! 

Mantis Mayhem

We are back from Africa and had a great (though rather exhausting) time. We did Victoria Falls, South Luangwa National Park and a canoe safari down the lower Zambezi. Highlights included swimming in a remote stretch of river with elephants crossing, standing 30 feet from a white rhino, and standing inside a hollow tree filled with thousands of bats; lows were definitely having our canoe charged by an angry hippo (so scary! They're really huge!) and a couple bouts of foodborne illness.

This pic is looking directly upward inside the bat tree.
Yes, all those little bumps are bat faces staring down at me.

Elephants can be very dangerous to humans,
but these guys didn't seem to mind my swimming in their river.

Our luxurious accommodations on the Zambezi river. 

I'd never been camping before, and it wasn't so bad, except if you have to get up in the night to pee you have to bring a flashlight and make sure there aren't crocodiles or hippos or something else near the tent that might kill you.

There are pods of hippos everywhere on the Zambezi. Half our days were spent
trying to navigate the canoes around them.

But now we're back home and back to regular life. I wasn't sure my little baby mantises had survived to adulthood, but boy was I wrong. I started seeing them on a daily basis.

I had the opportunity to watch a couple of them go through their mating ritual, and it's freaky! First the male sneaks up behind the female on the fence and makes a flying leap to tackle her and they both tumble to the ground. Then while they were mating I was getting all nervous because I know the female usually bites the male's head off after. I kept saying "Hurry up! Get out of there before she bites your head off!" but of course Mr. Mantis didn't listen. I finally went inside to let nature take it's course, but I didn't see any mantis remains, so I think our guy made it out alive. 

Mr. Mantis in the background, about to make his move. 

I had my orientation at the Wild Bird Fund and I have my first day of volunteering there today. At orientation we fed baby pigeons and I met baby squirrels (so cute!), and lots of birds, and a one-eyed turtle. I'm sure there will be many cute pics to come!

The Incredible Genius of Crows

I've said to my husband several times how much I would like to get to know a crow personally. Everything I've ever read or watched about them said they are playful, mischievous, and shockingly smart, and I've always wanted to see one in action. Well, the other day Nick calls me from walking our dogs in the park and says, "So you still want to meet a crow?"

When I got there the bird Nick had found, Marcus (named for being found in Marcus Garvey Park), was on the ground shaking and showing other neurological symptoms. I put him in a box to take him home and another crow--probably his mate--sat above us in a tree squawking and cawing her head off. I wished I could explain to her I was trying to help him! He started shaking violently on the way home, possibly having a seizure, so I knew whatever he had couldn't be good.

I left a message with The Wild Bird Fund to see if I could bring him there (I'm not licensed to rehab migratory birds like crows, plus I had no idea what was wrong with him) and I made him as comfortable as I could while we waited. When I examined Marcus for injuries and transferred him to our backyard flight cage he studied my face with such intensity it was almost unnerving; I later read that crows are extremely good at recognizing and remembering faces of both people and birds. He wasn't just staring at me: he was memorizing my face.

Marcus studies my face. Isn't he a beauty?

Marcus briefly improved after his arrival and I hoped he was through the worst of it, but it was only temporary; he very suddenly became lethargic, then almost catatonic. Marcus passed away and we gave him a deep burial in the backyard. I sprinkled his grave site with birdseed so other birds would visit Marcus at his final resting place.

Marcus during his brief upswing. He kept trying to stand
but could not unclench his feet. 

I spoke to a rehabber at The Wild Bird Fund after Marcus died and she told me they had just seen a crow with West Nile Virus who was exhibiting similar symptoms as Marcus; this crow also died. West Nile is particularly lethal to crows, and I learned that the death of crows is often one of the first indicators that West Nile is in an area. It was sad to say goodbye to Marcus, but I feel better knowing he most likely had a very serious disease and there was nothing more I could have done to save him.

I got my Wildlife
Rehabilitator License in
the mail the day before
Marcus was found

In reading up for Marcus' care I did learn a lot of fascinating things about crows, like how they use tools and are amazingly good at solving complex problems. Check out this article 6 Terrifying Ways Crows Are Smarter Than You Think. 

Also, here's a fun video of a crow "snowboarding" just for fun, and one of a crow using and even altering a tool so he can get the food he wants. Watch here. Who knew they were so brilliant?



I hope I get to know a crow again in the future, and I hope my next rehab is one that can be saved. This bird rehab thing is tough, especially when a few birds in a row don't make it! I keep reminding myself of Wilbur, Lexie, Treppenwitz, and my other successful rehab birds who are now out there living their lives, and then I remember why I keep doing this. And after all, I did finally get to know a crow like I've always wanted, even if it was only for a day.

Mantids and pigeons and gulls--oh my!

Today I went out for an unpleasant garden chore--weeding and de-slugging--and had a nice little surprise: my praying mantises were born! I ordered mantid egg cases from Amazon.com and honestly was a little skeptical that they would deliver; because they crawl out through a little hole in the egg case you have no way of telling by looking at the egg case if the mantises were born or not (unless you want to hatch them in a terrarium--no thanks, I'll skip the bugs as pets). But sure enough, I found three little mantises poking around my basil. They are only about half an inch long now so they were pretty tough to photograph, but I gave it a shot:

Isn't he--well, maybe "cute" isn't the word,
but he's pretty neat looking!

We had a similar episode as when my bees hatched: I started jumping up and down and calling for Nick to get the camera. I get excited when stuff is born in my yard. 

We briefly had another bird visitor. A co-worker called me about London, a distressed pigeon near our workplace. London had a badly torn up wing, most likely from a dog bite. I kept him overnight and did my best to keep him comfortable until he could go see the rehabbers at the Wild Bird Fund the following day. The rehabber I saw gave him some pain medicine, cleaned his wing to assess the damage and, because the injury was so severe, he went for a second opinion and third opinion from a senior rehabber and then from their avian surgeon Dr. Anthony Pilney. He had several wing fractures and had lost chunks of flesh that grow feathers necessary for flight, but most worrisome was the necrosis on his wing, which was extensive and spreading (he must of been suffering from that bite for a while before I found him, poor guy). They feared that trying to keep him alive to treat his injuries would result in simply elongating a painful death. It was tough, I really wanted him to have every chance at recovery, but the prognosis was grim and I didn't want to cause him unnecessary suffering. At the recommendation of the rehabbers and avian surgeon, London was peacefully euthanized. 

London: A very brave bird. 

London was an amazingly tough little bird; having his wing cleaned and Xrayed and examined by the doctors must have been agonizing for the little guy, especially after all he'd already been through, but he  sat in my hands and weathered it like a pro. You don't realize until you get to know a pigeon or other small creature personally how they can be stronger and braver than many humans, or how they each have their own unique personality. I'm always sorry when a bird comes to me that can't be saved, but I always feel lucky to have gotten the opportunity to know them. 

While I was at Wild Bird Fund I got to meet this
herring gull from Brooklyn, there recovering from a fractured
wing. He was having a blast splashing around his little pool!

Pigeon Paparazzi

I can't be 100% certain it's her, but that bird looks awfully
familiar...

Happy May! The month has been pretty uneventful as I was stuck at home with a lengthy flu (blah, just when you think you're past flu season...). I noticed a few weeks ago that my old pal Treppenwitz (my birdie I rehabbed when I found her suffering from PMV) is living a couple of blocks away on the grounds of a housing project. I see her from time to time when I'm on my way to the subway. She looks so happy, she has lots of pigeon pals and a nice grassy area where people throw them crumbs. Today I went lurking around there with my camera like some kind of pigeon paparazzo to get some good shots of Treppy out in the wild. Seeing my sweet little Treppy out there on her own, healthy and living her birdie life, makes me so proud and happy I could almost cry!

Glad to see my baby bird has lots of pigeon friend

Sadly, there was a brief and unsuccessful rehab that took place recently. I spotted Bruno on the grounds of a construction site (had to talk my way onto the site past a foreman who didn't speak english--picture me miming "hurt" and "bird"). Bruno seemed totally fine and happy except that his legs were limp. I was on my way out of town for an acting gig that day and my mother--also an animal lover--offered to keep him and take him to the Wild Bird Fund. Unfortunately, Bruno's spine was completely severed and they could not treat him so he had to be put down. It's sad when they don't make it, but a bird who can't walk or fly wouldn't be a very happy bird.

I took the written portion of the NY State Wildlife Rehabilitator License exam and go back soon for the interview portion. Pretty soon all this bird rehab will be legal and official and I can tell my birds they're being treated by a pro!

RIP Bruno

In other happier outdoor news, I got praying mantis eggs! I ordered two mantid egg cases from Amazon.com and hopefully, if all goes well, they will hatch later this summer and I'll have a bunch of mantises on pest control! (Apparently they eat just about any bug they can find, including each other.)