Trailer Hawk

During breeding bird season, my job is to arise before the sun to conduct songbird surveys. An 8 hour day usually means I'm headed home by 2 pm. And so it was that hot afternoon in mid-July. My little Toyota was almost through the Tijeras pass when my cell phone rang. An injured hawk was reported in Cedar Crest, not too far from my current location. I did not have a net or box for capture purposes, but I always carry light leather gloves for just such an emergency!

When I arrived, the distraught homeowner pointed out a Red-tailed Hawk perched quietly on her horse trailer. She and her family had been watching the hawks raise a family nearby, and the young ones had recently fledged. The human's joy at this happy event had turned to dismay when they discovered this apparently injured juvenile.

Armed with the knowledge that one of the horses had been nuzzling up to the ruffled raptor, I took the stealth-and-grab-approach. The hawk was no less surprised than the owner when he found himself firmly in hand! A cursory exam revealed no obvious problems, but due to the relative ease of capture and his history of sitting in one spot all day, the decision was made to transport him to a wildlife rehabilitator. The homeowner dredged up a diaper box, which was the perfect fit for the young hawk.

Because I was pretty tired by that point, an office relay was set up for hawk delivery. The office manager met me at a nearby shopping center, and he took the package to the office, where our educator ferried the diaper box (and contents) to the rehabilition facility. I was surprised to learn that the only injury found was a large thorn imbedded in his foot! Once this was removed, he ate like a champ.

I am happy to report that the young Red-tailed Hawk recovered completely, and proved his mouse-catching prowess well enough that he was recently released back into the wild!

Sandy Skeba, photos by Theresa Falzone