Hawking a Passage Cooper's Hawk

Final Pathology Report

2009-10-12T21:27:00.003-05:00

Well, here is the final pathology report I received from the Oklahoma Diagnostic Diseas Laboratory, Oklahoma State University, on the Coopers:

HISTOLOGIC COMMENTS 10/12/09: Significant lesions are identified within the heart, lungs and esophagus. This animal hasa severe pneumonia and the presence of fungal hyphae and identification of conidialheads is supportive of the diagnosis of aspergillosis. Additionally there is a severe esophagitis and myocarditis in this animal that are likely related to the fungal infection. Special stains revealed large numbers of fungi in the lung and rare fungi in theesophagus.

There was a lot more information, but this was the bottom line. The bird had pneumonia and asper. So, the stress of captivity and weight reduction brought on the inevitable.

Necropsy Report

2009-10-08T11:06:00.001-05:00

I received a report back from the diagnostic laboratory, and it was inconclusive. Aside from noting that the bird was drastically underweight, “The endocrine, urinary, respiratory, cardiovascular, hepatobiliary and integumentary systems are examined and no gross abnormalities are observed.” I told them that something caused the anorexic behavior throughout the time she was in captivity, and that I was fairly convinced that it was not from being in captivity. So, they are running a virology assessment. I will post the results as soon as I get them for those who may be interested.

The Last Day

2009-10-06T07:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I fed and hydrated her with Pedialyte three times, but, to no avail. This morning I found her dead. I'm puzzled to say the least, as I have successfully flown eight passage female Cooper's hawks and they were all managed the same way. In talking with other people, I don't think it was WNV. Whatever it was, I can't help but think that I, in some way, contributed to her death, because she was healthy when I got her. I will leave this blog up until I find out if I can get a necropsy done locally. If I can, I will post the results, as we all need to know for future reference.

Day Seven

2009-10-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

This morning, despite eating as much as she did the day before, she had dropped 3/10's of an ounce when I weighed her early AM. She cannot afford to lose anymore weight, so now I'm force-feeding her small pieces of meant soaked in Pedialyte. I am not over-doing it, because I know she needs energy to digest the food. But, I will continue to do so a couple more times today. She continues to sleep if not disturbed. Keeping fingers crossed, and hoping for best.

Day Six

2009-10-04T09:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I fed her as much quail as she would eat, which wasn't much, in the AM and PM; plus, I gave her Pedialyte. In the evening, while watching Oklahoma get their butt beat by Miami, I noticed that she was acting better. This morning when I weighed her she had not gained weight, but, she had not lost any either. I let her eat off my fist a little and then got her to hop to it three times from about a foot away. I then let her eat all that she wanted of a quail. She continues to eat deliberately, but without much enthusiasm. After she, initially, eats a certain portion, she seems to have to let it settle in her crop, and then she will eat a little more. She does this until she quits eating. Today she ate more than yesterday at her first eating, so I am encouraged. I will feed her again in the PM, and give her some more Pedialyte.

I can't help but think that there is something physically wrong with this bird, that was latent and brought on by stress. I don't think it is weight related, as she was in good weight when she was trapped and I only took out a little over 10% when she began demonstrating this illness. And, I have never had this problem with a passage Cooper's before. I guess only time will tell, but, for right now she is a ways from dying.

Day Five

2009-10-03T10:37:00.003-05:00

This morning she was still acting lethargic, and when I weighed her, she dropped weight when she should not have, based upon what I fed her yesterday. So, I have decided to bring her weight back up and start anew. I fed her a couple of quail legs off the fist. She ate and acted normal. I then put back on the pole perch with the remainder of the quail tied to a lure. She ate, but she did not eat nearly as much as she should have. And, then, like yesterday, she seemed to want to sleep. Her mutes look good, and she is not throwing her food. I don't know what the hell is going on. I spoke with Mitch Wishon and he is of the opinion that she is too low or she has West Nile Virus, because sleeping during the day is one of the symptoms. Anyone familiar with West Nile?

Day Four

2009-10-02T13:29:00.002-05:00

I got up this morning and she seemed lethargic, so I weighed her. She weighed 14.1 ounces in the AM. I concluded that she was a little low, and around noon I fed her more than I had planned, just in case. Insterestingly, after I fed her, she went to sleep (off and on) on the perch. So, I'm now thinking the lethargy I noticed is the result of her not sleeping sleeping at night, and it has caught up with her, because she ate well and acted fine on the fist. I still think she is going to fly in the 13's.

Day Three

2009-10-01T18:31:00.002-05:00

She ate more readily off my fist. Weight: 14.4 ounces. I am around her quite a bit during the day while workign in my study, but, I don't mess with her now that she understands the hood. I pick her up now only to feed her in hopes that she will relate me picking her up (and the glove), at this particular time of day, to food. She continues to be relatively calm on the pole perch. Her behavior at this point suggests that her flying weight will be in the 13's; plus, she is a smaller female.

DAY TWO

2009-09-30T20:17:00.003-05:00

She dropped a complete ounce from yesterday, and, tonight she, reluctantly, ate off the fist (baby chick). I didn't let her eat all of it, because I know she needs to be a bit lower. She continues to be calm on the pole perch, and bates irregularly. Weight: 14.7 ounces

DAY ONE

2009-09-30T13:07:00.001-05:00

Began maning a freshly trapped passage female Cooper's hawk on September 29. She accepts the hood well-enough and is adapting to a pole perch that I keep in my office at home. Her weight is 15.8 ounces.

2009-09-29T19:17:00.000-05:00

"If the sharp-shinned hawk is a blood-thirsty villain, this larger edition of feathered ferocity (the Cooper’s hawk) is a worse villain . . . and is the principal cause of the widespread antipathy towards hawks in general."

Authur Clevland Bent
Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (1937)

And thus we begin our journey . . . .