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Author Topic: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue  (Read 4981 times)

Offline eri

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Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« on: July 20, 2008, 01:33:32 pm »
This morning my rat terrier, who has a distinctive bark when he's found an animal, let me know there was something outside. He was standing in front of a very bedraggled looking bird: wet feathers, flat flies (found out later these are common bird parasites), sweat bees clinging to her. Got on the Internet and located a local raptor rescure/rehab organization. They told me how to capture the bird and came to pick her up less than an hour later (they were on another call).

This is a red-shouldered hawk who had been trapped and shot. She was walking (not very well) and the mockingbirds were swooping down on her in my field when I relocated her to capture her. The rescuers said the practice is to hang bait and a bear-like foot trap from a tall tree or pole, then shoot the bird when it arrives. They said the hawk's range is only about a mile, so someone quite near me is the culprit. I've alerted the neighbors I KNOW would not do this to watch out for injured birds. The rescuers said I will likely be contacted by a wildlife officer, since capturing, injuring, or even owning a raptor feather is illegal.

Sadly, even if the culprit is found, it is common practice especially amongst the old-time farmers in the area, supposedly to protect their chickens.

The organization is www.nc-claws.org. Kudos to these knowledgeable folks who responded so promptly on a Sunday morning!

I've uploaded a couple of photos of her. Here she is: http://picasaweb.google.com/hjdunlap/InjuredRedShoulderedHawk072008
(the other 2 galleries are of my rattie and of the honeybee who STILL visits in the evenings, sometimes with a few of her friends)

« Last Edit: July 20, 2008, 05:47:23 pm by eri »
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Offline JP

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2008, 05:05:13 pm »
All I got to say is that the hawks were there first, it is their right to hunt even if its chickens someone brought in, the idiot who shot the bird is plum lazy not to figure out a better way to keep the hawk from the chickens.

Its illegal to shoot birds of prey or mess with them, even scavengers like buzzards.

Good luck, and I hope the bird makes it and y'all catch the guy who shot him.


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Offline danno

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2008, 09:16:41 am »
When we trap hawks for falconry we dust every bird with poulty dust. The flat flies come out in hords.  Ugly creepy things aren't they

Offline eri

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2008, 09:42:33 am »
Yes, those flat flies are nasty things. The 2 rescuers had a "discussion" about who was going to squish them. One said it is the one bug she deals with that really creeps her out. I thought they were some kind of necro-flies -- you know, that feed on putrid flesh. It was so sad to see such a beautiful animal in such a bedraggled and helpless state, but I have to admire the tenacity to somehow escape death and make it to my house. I hope she can be helped. I hope whoever injured her gets effectively "re-educated."
On Pleasure
Kahlil Gibran
....
And to both, bee and flower, the giving and the receiving of pleasure is a need and an ecstasy.
People of Orphalese, be in your pleasures like the flowers and the bees.

Offline poka-bee

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2008, 12:24:13 pm »
Thank goodness she made it to your place instead of ending up where they set the trap... :-x.  It's funny how things end up things always seem to make it here too.  I hope she will make it.  Probably depends on where the shots lodged, how long she had been out & down, although I'm sure your dog found her as soon as he/she was able.  Those bugs sound gross..gonna have to google em.  Keep us posted, I'm sure the rehab place will let you keep track of her progress.  I have a merlin here, comes & goes after my pigeons. It does stay off the wires of the cage now after I ran out flapping a towel & booga-booga'd it, hides up in a cedar tree across the road now.  It was only doing what Merlin's do.  Funny, had one pigeon (Perve)escape numerous times from the merlin was magnificent watching the aerial maneuvers...then last week it was picking stuff off the road & got run over! :shock:  Do keep us posted!  Jody
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2008, 06:32:48 pm »
Jody,

When you come up for Labor Day I'll give you a couple pair of youngsters to take home and orientate to your loft.  Genuine pedigreed racing homers what color do you prefer:  Silver (aka Red Bar or Mealy), Red Check, Blue Check, of Blue Bar.  Let me know and I save some of the ones due to hatch this week.

My problem is that we have 2 pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting on Mount Erie (1 mile away) so the mountain is closed to rock climbing for the summer.  I've had Coopers hawks follow the birds right into the loft and Prairie Falcons setting on the fence post waiting for my pigeons to come back after a training release.  I lost half of my young bird racing team (12 of 24) to hawks but must say that the ones I have left are pretty cagey at avoiding hawks.
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Offline poka-bee

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2008, 12:42:20 pm »
Brian, thank you for the offer! I don't need 2 pair but a M & F would be ok.  Between Earl & a hen & another male & my hen I will have more than enough by this time next year!  Poor Earl.  His Girl broke her neck somehow this summer.  In the AM she was puttering around as usual, then a couple of hours later I found her on the floor, stiffening up but the neck was all wobbly.  I have one young hen but it's Earls daughter.  Since Perve (he was smitten w/his mother, hence the name Perve) got smushed I put her in w/Earl for companionship but now he's the perve! :shock: I don't know all the colors, how bout surprising me or your favorite? If you have a broken hen she would go perfectly w/Earl & would have a good home.  Perve & the young hen lived outside the loft.  I have to keep it closed unless I'm watching closely as Earl thinks he can fly...not a fair fight w/hawk,dogs & cats & I get tired of chasing him around through blackberry bushes & under cars :roll: Boy, does he hate me! Bites, growls & wing slaps galore!   Jody
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Injured Red-Shouldered Hawk rescue
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2008, 11:22:49 pm »
Brian, thank you for the offer! I don't need 2 pair but a M & F would be ok.  Between Earl & a hen & another male & my hen I will have more than enough by this time next year!  Poor Earl.  His Girl broke her neck somehow this summer.  In the AM she was puttering around as usual, then a couple of hours later I found her on the floor, stiffening up but the neck was all wobbly.  I have one young hen but it's Earls daughter.  Since Perve (he was smitten w/his mother, hence the name Perve) got smushed I put her in w/Earl for companionship but now he's the perve! :shock: I don't know all the colors, how bout surprising me or your favorite? If you have a broken hen she would go perfectly w/Earl & would have a good home.  Perve & the young hen lived outside the loft.  I have to keep it closed unless I'm watching closely as Earl thinks he can fly...not a fair fight w/hawk,dogs & cats & I get tired of chasing him around through blackberry bushes & under cars :roll: Boy, does he hate me! Bites, growls & wing slaps galore!   Jody

Inbreeding is done a lot in bird raising.  Many pigeon racers will line breed, that is, take a few pairs of birds and then breed everything from those birds.  To get specific traits such as color, speed, etc mating father to daughter ( a favorite of some), son to mother, brother to sister is often done but the most often is cousin to cousin of 1/2 sibling to 1/2 sibling.  A generation of inbreeding won't hurt anything, besides it occurs naturally in the wild more than people would think.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!