Limpkin Update

[Willie D'Anna]

I received the following update written by Karen Slote, the rehabilitator who has been caring for the Lewiston Limpkin since it was rescued last Friday. The Limpkin is now in Delaware. Read on for more details.

 

Willie D’Anna

Wilson, NY

 

Limpkin Update  from Karen Slote of WildCare of WNY

 

Although he was calm and accepting of human presence when he was wild and free, the Limpkin’s behavior changed quickly after his rescue on November 18. I needed to do everything possible to make him comfortable. I filled his enclosure with willow branches, grasses and artificial plants so that it resembled the natural area he had been living in. Normally, Limpkin eat snails; unfortunately, the apple snails they eat are invasive and not allowed in NYS – so I needed to find him an alternate food source. I offered him a variety of options, including mealworms, waxworms, earthworms, krill, and small fish like smelt and minnows. Presentation was important too. Limpkin forage in the mud and shallow water for their food, so in order for him to recognize these foods, I hid them in shallow plastic bowls filled with water or mulch. 

 

I was so relieved when he ate! His favorite was the fish, with a close second being the waxworms. One day, he ate almost 70 smelt - that is equivalent to 450 grams, or half his body weight! I could tell he was very hungry and needed to put on weight. He initially dropped a little weight before he settled down and started eating, but had gained about 100 grams over his intake weight by Tuesday morning, November 22.

 

Each extra day in rehabilitation is a day that something can go wrong; I needed to figure out the fastest and least stressful way to get him home. My first thought was to try shipping him to a Florida rehabilitation center on an airplane. Unfortunately, there were many requirements that made this impossible. The airline would not allow the Limpkin to be sedated, and they would not accept an animal that was trying to escape their travel crate. But the Limpkin is wild, and all he  wanted to do was to escape. Keeping him quiet was not possible. Additionally, the required travel crates are made of hard plastic walls, and transporting the limpkin in this type of carrier would risk painful injury. Lastly – along with many other technical requirements that would necessitate weeks to finalize – wild birds are not allowed to be shipped into Florida.  Ironically, that meant air travel was out of the question. 

 

I did consider driving him to a suitable area down South in one day, but this trip would take at least 20 hours. Overall, It would be too much for him. He’d essentially be trapped for long hours in a vehicle, and he would have to endure a long period of time unable to escape from unfamiliar sounds and movements that would quickly worsen his stress. This, in turn, would make him less likely to eat, and weaken him. 

 

I decided to transfer him to Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, one of the premier wildlife rehabilitation centers in the United States.  It is in Newark, DE, a midway point between here and the South. They agreed to help him reach his destination, and will feed him and care for him, before getting him further south.

 

Driving the Limpkin to Tri-State would benefit another bird, too. As it turns out, the Limpkin wasn’t the only bird in the wrong place at the right time. A Virginia Rail was grounded during the snowstorm, and was rescued by the Erie County SPCA.  She also needed to be released further south, and driving down to Tri-State would help her, too. 

 

Tuesday morning started early. I fed the Limpkin at 4 AM so he could eat and rest a little before we had to get moving. I gave him a medication similar to valium in order to calm him for the trip, moved him to a smaller soft-sided carrier lined with willow branches, and headed over to the SPCA on Harlem Road in West Seneca, by 5:30 AM.   Meghan, the wildlife technician who helped rescue the Virginia Rail, was there to meet me. After we fed the rail, gave her anti-anxiety medication, and got her all tucked in, we departed for Newark.  The trip took seven hours one way. We arrived at Tri-State Bird Rescue around 1 PM, and unloaded our passengers at their facility. It was beautiful. We toured buildings and outdoor enclosures, and learned about their experiences with an incredible diversity of birds. The staff was very knowledgeable about the husbandry requirements and treatments of their avian patients, and willing to help out in any way they could. I felt very comfortable that the Limpkin would be well cared for. The rail was released at a nearby marsh. The Limpkin will continue his journey south  to South Carolina to a marsh there that has overwintering Limpkins on November 24^th.  Thank you all for your generous support with your words,  and donations.  It was used to pay for gas and food along the drive to Delaware and food for the Limpkin, and the surplus will be put toward food and medicine for other injured and orphaned birds.   Funds were offered to Tri-State if they need it for the Limpkin’s continued care and release, though they didn’t take me up on it. Thanks too, to the Erie County SPCA  for helping with transport.  At this time of national thanksgiving, I am very full of thanks for your support and concern for the Limpkin that entered our life in western NY. 

 

 

 

[Leigh O'Brien]

Thank you for the amazing update and many thanks to all the individuals and organizations that helped the birds get where they needed to be, despite multiple obstacles!

Leigh O'Brien

Orchard Park

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[Kayo Roy]

Many thanks Willie for your considerable efforts on all your updates and directions to the Lewiston docks that helped many birders see this bird.  You have gone even further now by letting everyone know in your two emails exactly what has transpired since the birds capture.

 

For all of this you need to know it was very much appreciated.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and Betsy....and as well to my many US friends.

 

Kayo

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[Lynn Bergmeyer]

Thank you so much for sharing.  What amazing things these people do for lost, orpganed, and injured wildlife

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[Jeffrey Reed]

Very cool.   Thank you.

Jeff Reed

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[George Ireland]

Thank you.


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[bonnieh]

Thank you for the update. You took such thoughtful care of this beautiful bird. It is wonderful to know that both birds are safe and will be able to go to a more suitable environment.