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Releasing rehabilitated birds back in to the wild is an amazing experience! Adult birds are typically released back from the area from which they came. They know the hunting grounds well and may even have a mate waiting for them! Orphans can be released just about anywhere there is suitable habitat for them.
RTHA 05312020 Goes Home
06/28/2020
This Redtail Hawk (05312020) was picked up on Wilt Street and was believed to have been hit by or flew into a car. He was on the side of the road and moved to a grassy area. Area residents called Ft. Wayne Animal Care & Control. Aiste M., another area resident, called Soarin' Hawk. Kim N. took the bird to ICU and found that there were no apparent fractures; however, there was a small cut to one of toes on his right foot, visual signs of blood in his mouth, evidence of feather mites, and possible vision issues in his right eye. He was given medication for pain, powdered for mites, and...Read more
Soccer Owl Scores Release
04/16/2020
On April 11, the rescue line received a call from a homeowner about an owl that was entangled in her kids' soccer net in their backyard. On arrival, Bill O. found a great horned owl and its intended prey, a rabbit, seriously entangled in the net and unable to escape. Bill cut the owl and the rabbit out of the net and took the owl to Pine Valley Vet. Luckily, Dr. Funnell found no injuries. We kept him under observation for a few days, watched as he practiced flying to be sure his wings were good, then released him on April 16 back where he came from. This is nesting season for great horned...Read more
This Hawk Has Left the Building!
03/02/2020
On December 22, 2019 Soarin' Hawk volunteer Ron S. received a call from the Site Manager at Gene Stratton-Porter Nature Preserve in Rome City, IN. One of the Preserve's volunteers, John L., had found an injured red-tailed hawk hopping on the ground with a possible injured wing. Ron drove to the site, where John had confined the bird under a fishing net. Ron took the bird to our ICU, where volunteers Jillian and Jeanette medicated and hydrated him. The next day, Dr. Funnell's exam revealed a fractured wing. The wing was immobilized to encourage healing, then the hawk received physical therapy...Read more
Red-Shouldered Hawk Released!
01/15/2020
On December 27, 2019, the hawkphone received a call fom Auburn Hills Vet Clinic in Auburn, IN. A concerned citizen had brought an injured juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk. He said he saw the bird just sitting beside the road so he picked it up and brought it to the vet. We delivered the bird to ICU, where it was discovered that his last meal was a whole bunch of frogs! We also learned that the bird had a long gash on its shoulder, but Dr. Funnell found no other injuries. She sutured the bird's wound, and the bird went back to ICU to recuperate. Today, he was released in a beautiful park in Auburn...Read more
Coop Goes Home
12/27/2019
On Nov. 21, 2019, our rescue line received a call from Kim B., who said she was sitting at her desk in an office building on West Jefferson in Fort Wayne, when she heard a loud "THUMP." She went outside, and found a bird sitting on the ground, dazed after having hit the window. She called us, and we advised her to get a box over the bird to protect it, and she did. Soarin' Hawk volunteer Bill O. rescued the bird (which was a Cooper's Hawk) and found it was bleeding from its ear and had fluids on its eye. Bill took the Coop directly to Dr. Funnell at Pine Valley Vet, where x-rays showed no...Read more
Bald Eagle Release! He's Home!
12/18/2019
Today, Soarin' Hawk Raptor Rehabilitation released a rehabilitated American Bald Eagle at the Huntertown Family Park in Huntertown, IN. The eagle was injured in the Huntertown area and saved by Brandt Douglas on October 1, then was treated at Soarin' Hawk's ICU, and recovered at Soarin' Hawk's rehab facility. Over 100 people braved the windy cold to come and watch the release of our beautiful national bird! Learn the story of this American Bald Eagle's rescue: https://youtu.be/Asjnn8i1KNs watch the release at: https://youtu.be/d-l0atkCy_4Read more
Red-Tailed Hawk 10112019 Goes Back Home
12/05/2019
On October 11, 2019 some folks near Jefferson Point called the Soarin' Hawk rescue line to report that a Redtailed Hawk that had been hanging around their house most of the day. Our rescuers arrived to find the caller had put the bird into a wicker basket and put the basket in their car. Xrays for this Hawk revealed a pellet in its intestinal tract. We kept the bird under observation until the pellet passed through its intestinal tract. Then after he regained his strength, we began practice flying him. He did well, and on December 5, 2019, he was released where he was found Watch the release...Read more
Young Peregrine Goes Home
11/16/2019
On September 25, 2019, Lisa R. called the Soarin' Hawk rescue line about what appeared to be a peregrine falcon sitting in her back yard in Topeka, Indiana. The bird had been there all day, and Lisa was concerned. We dispatched Bill O. to capture the bird, and when he arrived, the bird was sitting on some wood on the side of their shed. When approached, the falcon began running around their yard. The bird fell into the lake a couple of times, then Bill retrieved a large sheet, utilized the folks present as a wall, then waited until the bird tried to climb back on the logs on the other side of...Read more
Young Great Horned Owl Goes Home
11/07/2019
On September 9, 2019, St. Joe Humane Society in Mishawaka received a call about an owl entangled in a soccer net. After they secured the owl, they called the Soarin' Hawk rescue line, and volunteer Gary drove the bird to our ICU. The bird was determined to be a young great horned owl. Luckily, the young owl was not badly injured, so he went to our outdoor rehabilitation facility, where he was housed with Zeus, our educational great horned owl, to help him learn how to be an owl. After a few weeks he was transferred to a pen where it was confirmed that he could catch live prey, then his flight...Read more
Chimney Screech Goes Home
11/06/2019
On November 3, 2019, the Soarin' Hawk rescue line received a call from Katy P. about a little screech owl that had fallen down a chimney in Columbia City. Katy and her husband were very concerned, and - when it was determined that the owl could not be rescued from the roof - they removed their fireplace insert so the owl could be rescued. As soon as the fireplace insert was removed, the owl flew around Katy's living room until he was caught by Soarin' Hawk volunteer Louie, who brought the owl to our ICU. After receiving a clean bill of health from Dr. Pat, and being observed for a couple of...Read more
Red-Tailed Hawk 04152019 Has Left the Building!
10/20/2019
This juvenile red-tailed hawk was brought to our Immediate Care Unit on the evening of 4/15/19 by a conservation officer. It was assumed that he had suffered a car strike due to the injuries sustained. He had a ruptured crop, some blood in his mouth, and only 2 out of his 12 tail feathers were present. He was thin and quite lethargic, and his right eye was swollen shut. It took a while, but once his crop healed and he had gained flight strength, he was ready to go back to the wild, and he was released on October 20, 2019. Watch the release here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/...Read more
Red-Tailed Hawk 04152019 Has Left the Building!
10/20/2019
This juvenile red-tailed hawk was brought to our Immediate Care Unit on the evening of 4/15/19 by a conservation officer. It was assumed that he had suffered a car strike due to the injuries he sustained. He had a ruptured crop, some blood in his mouth, and only 2 out of his 12 tail feathers. He was thin and quite lethargic, and his right eye was swollen shut. After his crop healed, we had to wait for his tail feathers to grown in, then we began helping him gain flight strength. Finally, om October 10, 2019, he was ready to go home. Watch the release here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/...Read more
Red-Tailed Hawk 07162019 Goes Home!
10/19/2019
On July 16, 2019, a Soarin' Hawk volunteer got a call from the Allen County sheriff’s department. She drove out to Arcola Road where she found a male adult red-tailed hawk on the ground . He did not fly away. She was able to pick him up. He had been out there all day. The homeowners thought he would fly away but he never did. IHe was taken to our intensive care facility, where he perched well and was bright alert and responsive, but was very thin. Our veterinarian determined that he had an old wing fracture and puncture wounds, and he began physical therapy on his wing. He responded well to...Read more
The Cooper's Have Left the Building
08/17/2019
On Sunday, August 4, with the help of Adam and Dick Buchanan, two juvenile Cooper's hawks left the hack box. They had been fed while living in the box for about two weeks. Once the gates were open, they took to the skies to live free. They both were orphans rescued on June 6. One, among the four from a nest that had blown down during a storm, came to us with a fractured leg and had to stay at the ICU until it healed. Its siblings, having no injuries, were able to be released earlier. The other orphan was found on the ground from an unknown reason, and was found to have no injuries. For two...Read more
A Very, Very Special Release
08/11/2019
by Susan Hansen & Bill Oberg On August 7, we got a call around 9:15 am. There was an owl down near the airport. When we arrived we found a baby great horned owl confined in a cardboard box. There was some blood on its beak, and a bit on one talon. The caller, Don, explained that they had been working on a large metal storage building for over a year, and frequently found birds that had gotten in during the night. This morning, though, they found 2 owls, one twice the size of the other. The larger one escaped through an open window. The smaller one tried to follow several times but only...Read more
