Saying Goodbyes Yet Again

It was bittersweet as we said goodbye to one of our long term cases, a juvenile cooper's hawk that had come into our center as an orphan last season. It had been a mystery as to where her parents were and nest were. She had been found by a concerned citizen on the side of the road. One of our volunteers, also a falconer searched for her nest and siblings in the area but was unsuccessful. She fared very well in captivity and our plans were to release her as soon as she had some flight time and experience hunting. She did however contract a very devastating infection in her mouth which resulted in a deformity on the opposite side of her face that is pictured here. While this deformity never impeded her ability to eat, it was feared that it was greatly weakened by this deformity and would be a heightened risk of breakage in the wild. Kept in captivity, she could be monitored closely and receive medical attention should injury occur.
















Because she was admitted at such an early age and constantly handled for medical treatments, this bird became very acclimated to humans and thus a star candidate for wildlife education. It was very tempting to keep this non releasable bird at our center for our education program. She would have surely proved to be an excellent advocate for the cooper's hawk in the wild, especially considering the constant persecution we see of them by domestic bird breeders and keepers. We opted however for her to be placed into an educational program in which she could be free flown by experienced master falconer Ray Pena http://www.flightoftheraptor.com/ for literally thousands of people who attend Renaissance Festivals all around the country including Florida. Although I would greatly miss her, I was thrilled that she would be able to fly free among the admiration of the adoring fans she would surely gain visiting the various Renaissance Festivals. You bet I will be there to visit her next year!


Another happy moment to report as a red tailed hawk was returned back to the neighborhood in which it was found. Museum wildlife staff member Meranda assisted an excited young man in releasing this hawk, which had suffered from an unknown illness, perhaps a mild toxicity. After an initial period of stabilization, this bird recovered very quickly. The entire neighborhood anxiously awaited the news that their frequently seen hawk was ready to return home. As you can see, it was quite the celebration and everyone turned out for this happy moment. We are always proud to see such enthusiasm and to share these miracles. It is the everyday citizen who is the critical link in saving these birds. Without them, we wouldn't be able to share these successes.