Thursday, October 18, 2012

The release of 2 young Red Tailed Hawks

I decided to quietly release 2 young Red Tailed Hawks yesterday.  Both of these youngsters were admitted to Wings of Wonder as starvation cases and had both lost close to 50% of their normal body weight.  As youngsters, newly out on their own, young raptors just do not have perfected hunting skills.  It doesn't take long for them to lose weight, become weak, and no longer be able to hunt successfully.   If not found and rehabilitated, they will starve to death.
These 2 youngsters were the lucky ones.  They were found by caring individuals and transported to Wing of Wonder.  

Within a month they had put on weight, were flying, and were successfully hunting live prey.   I decided to release them on sight so I could continue to put out some free handouts, providing they decide to stick around. 





 
 It is always a joy to see rehabilitated raptors fly free once again.  
May they now have successful hunts and find safe habitats to raise their future families.  
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3 comments:

  1. Jerry from CRCOctober 19, 2012 at 9:13 AM

    Congratulations to you and the red tails on a successful rehab. Must be rewarding. Regards and keep up the good work.

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  2. Jerry from CRCOctober 19, 2012 at 9:14 AM

    PS Phoenix sends his regards. He is getting better and calmer on the glove.

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  3. Peter OlsonOctober 23, 2012 at 5:15 AM

    I saw one of these beautiful birds of prey perched on our deck railing recently. I was washing the dishes, and looked out the kitchen window, and there she was looking back at me. I could have sworn she said, "Thanks for dinner!"
    I keep several bird feeders well stocked with Black Oil Sunflower seeds behind our home. I love bird watching and the birds (Chickadee, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Nuthatch, Gold Finch, Doves, etc.) just love to eat that stuff up.
    I had noticed small bunches of feathers from time to time around the feeders and bird bath and thought that it was because of one of the neighborhood cats. But now I know better. Ha! Ha!
    Have a great day and keep up the great work caring for these beautiful birds.

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