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