Anyone See the Ark?? Revisited

For the second time since September we evacuated animals from outside caging at our newest location in Itasca. This flooding isn't nearly as bad as September in terms of depth; however, it presents some real issues in terms of reoccupancy.

September's waters were mid-chest deep in some locations and a good 2-1/2 plus feet deep everywhere else...today's deepest waters (thus far) are knee deep. The challenge with today's flooding is related to the cold. With frozen grounds and temperatures plunging into the 20's tonight, how long will it take the water to recede and will we be surrounded by a skating rink?

We've moved animals from outside caging to temporary caging inside the building. Accessing the building via waders with possible ice tomorrow will be interesting - to say the least.

Tomorrow some animals will be relocated to our Barrington location (critical care has already been moved to Barrington). For now, all other animal care will continue in Itasca. We'll decide if additional animals need to be relocated from Itasca once we see what happens with the water / ice.

I'm sure we'll incur additional structural damage over and above what we incurred in September. We will also need another lengthy clean-up and sanitation, which may not be able to occur until Spring since winter weather isn't conducive to using power washers and hoses!

Sorry - no photos today. Perhaps we'll take some tomorrow.

As in September, all animals are safe.

Dawn

Back to the Wild - Kestrels Recover and Find Freedom at our New Itasca Facility

Labor Day was a day to celebrate the fruits of our labor and release nine fully-rehabilitated American Kestrels back to the wild. The release couldn't have been more perfect - blue skies and the beautiful setting of our new Itasca location with its tall trees, open prairies and plenty of good habitat.

Each Kestrel flew magnificently. Seven of the nine Kestrels has been relatively healthy orphans or babies that fledged the nest too early and whose nests we couldn't locate in order to put them back. Two Kestrels require special mention.

One was a baby with a badly broken wing that couldn't be repaired surgically. Rather than euthanize him, we took a chance and wrapped the wing (kind of like a wing soft cast). Although he had a slight wing droop and we initally feared he would be non-releasable, he flew perfectly in the flight chamber and perfectly on release. We have no doubt that he had 100% normal use of his wing.

The last of the nine Kestrels was an adult female who originally arrived in 2007 with a broken wing. She broke many of her flight and tail feathers and we had to wait until she molted into perfect new feathers before releasing her. When I opened my hands for her to fly to freedom, she flew to the roof of the facility (the Village of Itasca donates space to us in their Nature Center). She sat for almost a minute and then took off soaring. She flew back and forth across the blue sky, gaining altitude with each consecutive pass, displaying a typical Kestrel wing beat pattern (flap, flap, stall). This magnificent bird seemed to be celebrating her new-found freedom after a year of rehabilitation.

We wish them good luck and long life. Enjoy the release photos below. By the way, stay tuned for YOUR chance to see a release! Check the website as details will soon be posted.

Flint Creek WIldlife Rehabilitation's Education Birds at Itasca's National Night Out Celebration

05-11, a Red-tailed Hawk, and Junior, a Great Horned Owl, appeared at Itasca's National Night Out Event. Both birds were a big hit among the event's many attendees.



National Night Out focuses on crime and drug prevention. The Itasca Police Department, Itasca Fire Department, Health World and many other important groups were featured at the event.



I do regret to report that Junior Great Horned Owl was arrested at the event for illegal mouse trafficking. He was booked, printed, his mug shot taken, and he and his handler were put behind bars. Fortunately, we promptly made bail and were released.

05-11 posed in an Itasca police car. We didn't let 05-11 drive the car despite her repeated requests.






All j0king aside, we hope that you enjoy the pictures!







Signed,




One Handler Happy to be Out of Jail