Baby hawk reunited with its family thanks to many!

Photo by Harmonie Wooley

MAY 19, 2023

Do you think you could survive a 90 ft fall from the top of a tree? This young red-tailed hawk did! Unbelievably the bird was not seriously injured and did not become dinner for the mob of crows present at the scene! Even better, it was reunited with its family within two days! We want to applaud the team of people who gave this bird a better chance at a good life.

The list starts with the first responder who discovered the bird on the ground and did not attempt to rescue it. Instead, the person very wisely contacted the local Animal Control Services who are trained to know what to do. The hawk was transported to Orange County Birds of Prey in southern California. After being examined by their veterinarian, the bird was turned over to the care of the center’s Director of Husbandry, Harmonie Wooley until a boom truck could be found to return it to its nest.

That’s when the center’s bird biologist and raptor specialist, Scott Thomas, called us to ask if we could locate a willing tree care provider in the region. West Coast Arborists said yes. Certified arborist, Kris Burbidge, and tree care worker, Daniel Macias, took things from there. Mr. Macias soon arrived at the site of the tree where Ms. Wooley greeted him. The lucky patient was in a suitably sized box with ventilation holes. But oops, Mr. Macias quickly figured out his boom truck was not tall enough. Their largest, an 85-footer, was dispatched. That’s going the extra mile, wouldn’t you agree? And what did Mr. Macias have to say about this experience? “I’ve never had to do anything like that in my time with WCA; and I feel happy to be able to help.” We’re smiling, right?

So here's a question:

Are you a tree climber or tree care provider who’d like to occasionally match the generosity and good stewardship of West Coast Arborists? Wildlife rehabilitation centers everywhere need you, especially between the months of March and September. How about reaching out to one near you? A bonus might be a tour of their facility! If you volunteer, do hurry to tell us about it. It would give us great pleasure to give you a shout out!

What wildlife rehabilitators want us to know.

Ms. Wooley used this occasion to urge us to ask the public not to rush to rescue birds or deliver them to a rehab center without first calling animal services or a suitable rehab center. (No matter where you are in the United States you can locate the nearest rehab center via Animal Help Now She explains that too many birds are brought in unnecessarily, overloading staff and sometimes making it impossible to return the birds to their parents or to the wild. Some young birds having just left the nest are simply poor flyers. They may initially appear too young to us; but their parents continue to protect and feed them and teach them how to survive in the wild. Immature birds have the best chance of survival when they are raised by their parents. This is one of many reasons why it is against the law to capture native birds and attempt to care for them ourselves. You can help birds by sharing this blog with others.

Photo by Harmonie Wooley