[SBB] WETA, PEFA etc.

[Grant <[[email protected]]>]

SBBirders---

     On Thanksigiving day, 24 Nov., I took a stroll through my south 
Los Altos neighborhood and heard the distinctive "pit-er-ik" call of 
a WESTERN TANAGER on Newcastle Dr. between Fremont Ave. and Foothill 
Expwy.  It called about a dozen times but I only glimpsed it as it 
flew off, so this is a heard-only observation.  I also noticed that 
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS had descended en masse in my neighborhood in 
the middle of last week.
   On Tuesday 22 Nov. Karen received a call from Wildlife Rescue in 
Palo Alto with a report of a PEREGRINE FALCON that had been recovered 
by Animal Services from a residence on Churchill Ave. near 
Embarcadero in Palo Alto.  Karen, an experienced raptor handler and 
rehabilitator, picked up the bird and brought it to our home, the 
first peregrine she's had in 18 years of raptor rehab.  The bird had 
a contusion on the upper breast and was breathing with difficulty. 
Karen contacted Glenn Stewart of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Group 
to see if he could identify the animal from its leg bands, and he 
confirmed that it was a male that had been hatched at his facility in 
1990 and placed in an active nest on Mt. Diablo to fledge.  (On its 
left leg is a silver federal band; on the right leg are two black 
bands with the numbers 2 and 3 in silver.)
    The bird needed force-feeding for 4 days as it continued to 
experience respiratory problems, but this morning it ate without 
assistance and appears to be recovering nicely.  A local veterinarian 
kindly donated his services to examine the bird and ruled out lung 
infection and other possible complications.  X-rays confirmed trauma 
to the chest but no significant fluid in the lungs, so after a brief 
course of antibiotics and continued rehab, it should be released soon.
   It's always rewarding to help an injured animal return to the 
wild, and if this bird makes it back it will be especially 
gratifying, considering the species was nearly extirpated in North 
America by 1970.  Thanks to the diligent efforts of the Santa Cruz 
group and others, we now expect regular sightings of these 
spectacular falcons on our birding excursions.  Knowing the history 
of this particular bird makes the prospect of its return to our local 
habitat just a little bit more special.

---Grant Hoyt

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