Mission Accomplished

I can't believe that a week vacation from teaching at school could be over already but it was a productive rainy week. Most of the week was spent working on the fence on the front paddock to get the llamas out there in a more or less escape proof paddock out of the mud. The llamas love it and if the potbelly pigs would stop tearing up the sod there would probably be grass a bit longer. I really appreciate all of the students from the SUNY Cobleskill Wildlife Department for coming over to help me finish it, we would have never gotten it done without your help. I also really appreciate Ray Baitsholts for pounding in some new posts. Ray is also our Llama Shearer, which the date for shearing the herd this year is May 7/8th. People that are adopting llamas can pick them up as soon as they are sheared.
This past wednesday, Eric, Kelly, Kelli and the girls and I went to visit Jean and Len Sopranos wildlife rehab facility. I would like to thank them for the great tour and for letting the eagle that we picked up a few weeks back get some exercise in their great flight enclosure. We released the Eagle in the same field where Kelli Grogan Brown had found her. The Sopranos bear rehab facility is great and now since Ive seen it, I know exactly how I want to build ours. I actually got a call on a young bear yesterday with a broken jaw. Unfortunately it couldnt be saved. It was great seeing the eagle fly back off into the wild, watching that Eagle is what makes what we do worthwhile. Thanks Eric Brown for driving us and taking the great photos (as always) for the blog.
On thursday, my daughters and I did a program for our friends at the GE Wildlife Committee. I think that it was a great turnout for a vacation week from school. We value our long friendship and great relationship with the GE Wildlife Committee. I cant wait to see all of those Kestral, Screech Owl and Wood Duck nesting boxes put up around the grounds at GE Global Research Facility. Thanks for your continued support.
I hope everyone had a great Easter. Just because it was Easter did not mean that we were closed or not working in the kennel and barn. Besides for the Bear call, Kelli had a call on a baby Great Horned Owl that I need to pick up from her tonight after school. Eric and Linda also transported a young Osprey raptor to us. The bird had a horrible wing injury and I wrapped and stabilized the wing to see if the vet could save this magnificient bird this morning at 7am when they opened. I have never worked on an Osprey before. They eat predominately fish and have been tracked from as far away as Canada to the Brazilian Rainforest where some migrate for the winter.

I would love to see this bird survive but it is a really bad injury and I will completely agree if the vet already has euthanized it as I write this update.
Did everyone see the quick glimpse of our educational redtail hawks on the last Beekman Boys show from last Falls Sharon Springs Harvest Festival????? Hopefully Brent and Josh will get our logo and sign on the show this year.... I appreciate their help with the llama donations and look forward to about half of the llamas going to their new homes on May 7th and 8th. That will take a lot of pressure off of me since wildlife orphan season is about to explode into a fulltime job for a month or two. Till next update, WES

Wes and Linda work on the Osprey

Photos by Eric Brown, all rights reserved