Training Pearl

Pearl is our 7-year old Red Tailed Hawk. She is an amazing bird with a very strong, and sometimes stubborn personality. Pearl is already trained to perch on the gloved fist during my educational presentations. She is a pro....she also easily steps into and out of her travel crate, she steps on and off the scale several times each week, and she will sit on the fist while we go for "walks" in the woods. Lately I have been trying to train Pearl to jump to the glove, and then to eat her meal off the glove. Right now, at this point in time, Pearl does not realize the value of doing what I am asking of her....meaning Pearl has decided she does not want to eat on the glove but would rather take her food to a high perch to devour in relative privacy.
(translation: stubborn)
I am determined to not give in to Pearl and am remaining steadfast in my "request" to her. She must eat her food on my gloved fist. It is her decision to eat or not. If she chooses to not eat the tasty fresh mouse on my glove, then she will not get a meal that particular day...again, it is Pearls' decision. Because I am a softie-at-heart I usually give Pearl a few opportunities each day to eat on the glove. The past 2 days Pearl has only decided to eat one mouse on the glove. I know she wants to eat more, but she chooses, instead, to fly off the glove and onto a high perch in her aviary. Then she just seems to glare at me. At this point in the training cycle, I am not too worried that Pearl is only eating one mouse each day, because, in actuality, Pearl is at the heaviest weight she has ever been while living at Wings of Wonder. She currently weighs in at more than 1500 grams......aka she is rather fat. I am predicting that as Pearl loses a few grams over the next couple of days, she will be more interested in eating her meals on my gloved fist. The reason why I am determined to get Pearl to eat on the glove is that I want to have her do a bit of flying during the educational presentations. Pearl needs to learn that there is always a treat in the glove. It is my goal to have Pearl fly about 35 feet from a stationary perch to my glove in front of an audience. That way audience attendees can better appreciate the beauty and gracefullness of a hawk. I hope none of you reading this blog will think that I am being too strict or harsh with Pearl. Please know that she is a totally pampered red tailed hawk. Her varied diet consists of fresh mouse meat, rat meat, quail and chicken. During the summer months she enjoys the addition of crickets, fish and european starlings into her diet. She certainly has found a place in my heart and is my most favorite raptor here at Wings of Wonder.... but, please, don't tell any of our other raptors!

Our Young Peregrine

Our young peregrine had an xray this past monday, 31 days post surgery. The humeral fracture is healing very nicely and the decision was made to unwrap the wing and pull the IM pin. He is now continuing to recover in an outside flight enclosure. He seems to enjoy this new space as he basks in the sun and takes a daily morning bath. Because the trauma to his wing was so severe, it is highly doubtful that he will ever fly well again for a release back into the wild. I have decided to start training this youngster, with the goal of adding him to our educational ambassador family. Right from the start he has seemed eager to step up on the glove to get his tidbit of fresh quail meat. He has a wonderfully curious personality and is a joy to work with daily.

A YOUNG MALE PEREGRINE FALCON

An immature male peregrine falcon was admitted to Wings of Wonder in early October. This young falcon was rescued and transferred by the Manistee DNR after being found laying injured in a building that was being renovated. During the initial exam it was apparent that the falcon had a fracture of the right humerus, which is the bone between the shoulder and the elbow. Surgery was scheuduled with Dr. Eric Peck, Northern Michigan Veterinary Hospital (www.traversanimalhospital.com).
A steel pin was inserted into the bone during the
surgery to aid in the alignment and subsequent repair of this fracture. The wing was splinted and the falcon is now recovering at WOW.


Two weeks post surgery the wing was xrayed which revealed a nice callus forming over the fracture area. Hopefully the pin will be removed in another 2 weeks, and the falcon can begin to gently exercise that wing. He is a delightful patient; being very calm and greatly appreciative of his fresh quail dinner each day. Because of the severity of the injury, this youngster has a long road ahead of him to achieve a full recovery. Peregrine falcons are very fast and agile fliers...reaching speeds of over 200 mph as they dive, or stoop, for their prey. Their wings, muscles, tendons and skeletal systems all need to work perfectly in order for them to survive out in the wilds. Time will tell whether this youngster will ever fly free once again.

our newest patient

September 10, 2009

Our newest patient is a young Red Tailed hawk. This is a first year bird, meaning that he was hatched this year. He was found yesterday alongside a road near Bear Lake, Michigan. A concerned citizen spotted the bird and rescued him off the road. The young hawk was admitted to Wings of Wonder the following day. I decided to first bathe this hawk because it was immediately apparent that he was loaded with parasites commonly referred to as "flat flies". These flies truly live up to their name...they are about the size of house flies but are very, very flat so they can easily maneuver between feathers as they take their blood meals. They are nasty little pests and this bird had a lot of them. After his bath he was weighed and examined. His weight was 885 grams...a bit thin. Normally this bird should weigh closer to 1000 grams. The exam revealed a fractured ulna bone in his left wing, between his wrist and his elbow. It is quite likely this hawk had been hit by a car.
I transferred the bird into a cozy pet crate, where he immediately stepped up on the perch. He was then fed several large rodents ...a nice surprise to be "served" rodents on a platter!
Tomorrow the hawk will be examined and x-rayed by one of our attending veterinarians. These x-rays will determine whether he is a surgical candidate or not. If the fracture does not involve a joint, and if the affected bones are not splintered or shattered and can withstand the necessary medical proceedures, then we may choose to have the surgery performed. Not every patient admitted to Wings of Wonder becomes a rehab candidate. Unfortunately we can not save them all.
This has truly been a very, very busy week with Red Tailed Hawks. Over the past hand full of days we have admitted 7 of these youngsters. Not all have lived....some were admitted at such critically low weights or were so severly injured that there was not much we could do for them. Autumn is a difficult time of the year for these inexperienced raptors. They are are now out on their own without parents bringing them food. Besides perfecting their new flying skills, they must also learn to hunt and kill with efficiency. Research has shown that 75% of young raptors die before they can complete their first winter.
If you come across a raptor in distress, please don't hesititat to contact Wings of Wonder.

Sept 9 Eagle Release, Leelanau County

On September 5, 2009 an immature female bald eagle was released back into the wilds. A crowd of about 350 folks gathered to watch this bird fly free. The eagle had been found a week earlier by Chris and Tyler, young men from Lake Ann, who had been watching several young eagles flying together over Cook Lake. A while later Chris and Tyler found one of the youngsters laying unconscious on the ground near the lake. The boys rescued the eagle, carrying her out of the woods and into their car, and then quickly transported her to the Wings of Wonder hospital. It is believed that this young eagle had collided with another eagle up in the sky and was knocked out, falling to the ground, where she laid unconscious. She could have easily been killed by another predator if Chris and Tyler had not found her. After a day in the Wings of Wonder hospital the eagle was moved to a 100 foot outdoor aviary where she completed her recovery. Six days later she was ready to go free, and was released back in the general area where she had been found.
Photos by Julie and Dave Christiansen