Week in Review

Seems like it has been a week since I have blogged, hey, it has. Not intentional this time, we are having computer problems at home (again). If anyone would like to trade a new computer for a 10 year old boy who downloads video games off the internet...let me know.
When we last blogged, I was getting ready to take Oscar back to Cornell for his check up. The night before I had picked up a Great Horned Owl with a severely infected foot with porcupine quills. I thought that I would take the Red Tailed Hawk hit on I88 to them as well. Oscar's squeeze cage lacks about 1/4 of an inch from fitting inside my alum. transport cage that goes on the back of my truck. Which meant that I had to transfer him to a travel crate with a catch pole, not as easy as it used to be. Kelly Martin and our daughters Kate and Hannah all went. Uneventful trip, got to Cornell. Took forever to get Oscar knocked out, he did not want to go to sleep. I got to meet his surgeon, great guy....talented. He decided that it would be to Oscars best interest to get the wire holding the femor and two of the screws in the pelvis taken out to allow for natural bone healing. He said that the procedure and plate screwed in the hip was new, first time Cornell ever used that particular method and hardware. I am very pleased with Oscars progress. We all decided that it would be better to overwinter him than it would be to release him prematurely.
My trip to Cornell and Tufts Vet Schools were really about all that I did this summer besides work on the farm and make a quick weekend trip to the Vineyard of a friend on LI.. Last week teachers had to report for workshops and meetings. This past weekend I was at the Capital District Scottish Festival. I do a show on Clydesdales, Scottish Blackface Sheep and Border Collies. This year I also added a Wildlife/Birds of Prey component since I probably wont be doing the "Celtic Critters" shows anymore....just Wildlife Shows.
The summer was over before it started. Tuesday we started school with our students. The leaves are starting to change. My wife is already collecting monarch catapillars to show the kids in her classes the process of making a butterfly. I released two Kestrals back into the wild this week. Most of the mammals have been released back into the wild. We still have squirrels, skunks, possums, cottontails and a couple of bats that need to be released. My daughter accidentally released a baby chipmunk in the nursery. Gotta catch him. We have a broadwing and a redtailed hawk that need to get released yet also. I miss "orphan season" but we are still getting several calls a week on wildlife that needs help (a lot of car collisions).
I have a funny feeling that there will always be a steady flow of animals coming in that need our help. Till next time. Wes