Red-shouldered Hawk Rescue

You can never have too many friends, as one nestling red-shouldered hawk found out last week. This youngster fell out of its nest in Shoreview, MN and thanks to the caring efforts of several people, received the help it needed. First of all, the home owner found the bird on the ground and contacted TRC for guidance. Then, volunteer Ben Wilson (who supplied two of the photos for this entry) went out to assess the situation and transported the little hawk to the clinic for a physical exam, which was conducted by TRC’s veterinary intern from Columbia, Dr. Paula Castano. Except for a few maggots wiggling in its ears, it was given a clean bill of health. So, the hawk’s care was turned over to Greg Hansen, CVT who immediately took action to arrange for our volunteer tree climber to return the chick to its nest. The following day, Jim Mussell, a dedicated biologist, tree climber and long-standing TRC volunteer, gave the chick the 40’ lift it needed to get back home. When Jim peered into the nest structure, he was met by our young hawk’s two older siblings and then the family was reunited. The last photo is what this youngster will look like as an adult!

This story is just one of many where so many people are involved to make a sucess story. Would you consider donating to help The Raptor Center continue its work?