Articles

“We had to euthanize this raptor because the fracture was not repairable” … may not make any sense to those outside of raptor rehabilitation.  So let us try and explain.

The end goal/requirement of wildlife rehabilitation is to release the animal back into the wild.  But it must not be released with any physical impairment that would make it either unable to hunt for its own food or be more vulnerable to injury or to a predator.

If an animal is not releasable back into the wild we can occasionally place a bird in qualified institution (zoo, etc.) that wants the animal.  But there are even certain physical impairments that do not allow us to place them…but that is another article!

So why would a fractured bone not be repairable?  (Remember, the bird must be able to be returned to the wild.)  Here are several examples of why:

A fracture that involves a joint: it is not repairable in such a way as to permit healing with full movement of the joint.  In… more

We received a call from a concerned citizen about a downed hawk at the Subway restaurant in downtown Fort Wayne.   Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control had also been contacted and were on the scene when I arrived.  I greeted Officer Coe who had just placed a hawk, wrapped up like a burrito, in her van.  When she arrived, the hawk was sitting on the curb at the intersection of Jefferson Blvd and South Clinton St.  With that being a very busy intersection, she knew she had to act fast and was able to get a net over the hawk before it could fly or hop out into traffic.  We transferred the hawk to my transport box and I thanked her for the assistance.  She indicated that the gentleman that called in the rescue was inside the Subway so I headed in to speak with him.  He was walking towards the Subway when he saw the hawk come out of a bush in pursuit of a smaller bird.  That is when the hawk was struck by a car.  Another bystander then helped the hawk out of the street and onto the curb… more

The original release of these red-tailed hawks was postponed due to severe thunderstorms in the area, but luckily the following day produced beautiful, sunny skies - perfect conditions to launch into a new life!

Released 11/05/2017 at Pokagon State Park, IN.

This beautiful red-tailed hawk was found on September 4, 2017, at a home residence in northern Indiana. Its right leg was caught in a tree, and consequently, the bird suffered some fairly heavy bruising on that leg.

Fortunately, the injury was easy enough to heal with the use of some antibiotics and unpasteurized honey, which has its own antimicrobial properties. This bird proved to be healthy and strong after just two sessions of creance flying. It was released back into the wild near the homeowner's property on November 29, 2017, where what we believe might be its mate has been seen circling the skies!

We want to thank the homeowners for their generous donation to this bird's cause!

Three people called about a GHO that was seen on the side of the road at Hwy 18 and 5.  He was then seen in a field.  He was not flying, and had an injury to one eye.  A caller on 2/16 had called about the same bird, but when a volunteer went to get it, they could not find it.

On Saturday 2/17/19  Pam received a call from Brandi Sheets in Marion that, on Friday, her son had spotted a Great-horned Owl in a field on SR18. She investigated and noted that the owl had a damaged eye and was having trouble flying. She could find no help on Friday and finally on Saturday she contacted us. Pam asked if I had time to go and get the owl.  Fortunately, both the weather and traffic (lack of ISP) were cooperative and I made good time. About 15 miles from Marion, I contacted Brandi and got directions. I met Brandi and her family at an entrance to a farm field. The owl was about 50 feet from the highway in wild grass. After assessing the situation and getting organized, I slowly proceeded… more

This evening the Soarin' Hawk call taker received a call from the Fremont Fire Department. A man had dropped off a grey phase eastern screech owl, saying it had hit the side of his car. The bird was examined and no obvious injuries were found. The keel was a 4. Wings, legs, feet, mouth and vent all appeared normal. Chad was the firefighter that called, he said the bird had improved since it was dropped off. "Probably had his bell rung," was how Chad described the owl. The screech owl is now in the ICU unit awaiting further assessment.

Intake #02172018 EOSW

On Friday, February 2, 2018 volunteer Ann Zepke was sent to rescue a hawk.

I was told that the hawk was at the Target store on Stellhorn Road in Fort Wayne. It had been sitting on a shopping cart for three hours and had not moved in all that time.

When I arrived at the store, I checked all the carts in the parking lot. Then I spotted the hawk perched on a long line of carts that were lined up across the front of the store. It was a small hawk and I identified it as a Cooper’s Hawk. As I moved closer, I could see that the left eye was injured. It was so matted, I couldn’t see the eye at all and I was afraid that it may have been punctured and was actually missing.

I solicited help from a woman who was walking nearby. I had her hold up a blanket in front of the hawk so that its attention was on her.  Knowing the left eye was blind, I was able to get behind the bird and come up the left side to grab the legs. The plan was executed flawlessly. My helper followed me… more

Success! The gray phase Eastern Screech Owl found on 800N in Kendallville, IN was released on 2/6 at 8pm. After a short rehabilitation which included being treated for dehydration and turbulent shock from a near miss with an automobile, 'Thor' was sent back home. The bird was released only a few feet from where it was originally found. After a short time acclimating to its home surroundings, it silently lifted off into a nearby tree stand into the darkness. Tracy Fox is shown holding the bird just before returning it to its home environs.

Imping an eagle...not many understand what that means! 

Imp: as a noun this word is defined as " a mischievous child or a little devil or demon".  But as a verb it means to "mend or repair"  and specifically used in falconry to imp is to "graft feathers into a wing". 

This eagle had extensive feather damage due to feather mites.  The mites leave characteristic angular lines of destruction as they damage the feathers, as seen in this first photo.  (The feathers that are not damaged are ones that the eagle had replaced since we had treated her for mites.)  As you can imagine, this bird could not fly well with all the feather damage.  That's where imping comes in...we replace the damaged feathers with new ones!

The process, unfortunately, involves having to take feathers from a deceased bird of the same species.  It's like organ donation in people...you are thankful for the donation, but are sad that a death had to occur for… more

Soarin Hawk received a call to rescue a small owl that was down on the ground and could not fly and had a drooping wing.

I arrived at the home in Northwest Allen County and was advised the homeowner had gone out to clear the snow and saw the Owl alongside the driveway. He picked the Owl up and placed it near a fir tree by the house. By the time I had arrived the Eastern Screech Owl had climbed the fir tree and was very well hidden. I gently removed the owl from the tree and did a brief exam. The left wing was drooping and could not be spread as the right one could. The owls talons were active on my gloves when it was placed into a transport case for transportation to Soarin Hawk’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Further exam at the ICU indicated an open fracture of the Left Humerous (upper arm bone). Other than being quite quiet no other injuries were noted. Antibiotics, pain/anti-inflammation medications and fluids were administered after tape splinting the left wing to… more

Soarin’ Hawk now has an ICU (intensive care unit) for extremely ill and injured raptors. Historically, the extremely ill were taken care of in volunteers’ homes.  Though the people did a great job of caring for the birds, it was not ideal.  Each bird would need to be put in a cage and transported for veterinary rechecks and minor procedures, which adds stress to an already sick wild animal.  We could not afford to buy a scale for each volunteer to monitor the birds’ weight as well as to weigh the food the animal was being fed.  A centralized facility where all the birds can be in the same room was needed to take care of injured and ill birds.

The ICU, which consists of individual metal and wooden crates to house each raptor, gives us the ability to care for the birds around the clock if necessary and eliminates the need to transport them to a separate facility for veterinary exams and basic tests.  We will also be able to anesthetize the birds and begin early physical… more

There are 3 blood parasites that affect birds. There are some human blood parasites, but fortunately they are not something we typically have to worry about in the United States. This article will cover Leucocytozoon spp. Leucocytozoon spp. commonly infects both white and red blood cells. The red arrows in the first image point to examples of a lymphocyte (white blood cell) infected with Leucocytozoon spp. The yellow arrows in the second image point to examples of normal looking lymphocytes. You can see how difficult it would be to identify the kind of cell that is infected on the left. Typically, this blood parasite does not cause disease in birds.

Leucocytozoon spp. is transmitted via black flies. There are several methods to reduce a patient’s exposure to the black fly vector. While these animals are receiving veterinary care, proper housing should be provided. Indoor enclosures are ideal, but if the patient is outdoors some type of physical barrier, like a… more

I've been working with Soarin' Hawk less than a year and it's been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. That said, I haven't really gotten to do a lot. You go in every weekend and do some of the less glamorous tasks and it's something to be excited about because most people will never know these animals the way we get to see them. So, there I was Sat morning doing my volunteer shift as I try to do every week. I was greeted by Kim and Barb and Hot Dog. Barb was explaining how we had a few releases to accomplish that weekend and she was worried there weren't enough people available to do them. So, I asked what I could do. "Can you go to Bluffton today with this hawk and let it go?". What do you say to something like that???? I'll tell you "no" is simply not the answer. I called my girlfriend and asked if she had time to join me and if she wanted to go and she excitedly agreed. 

So, I finished my… more

Please welcome Katherine Tate, B.S.,RVT. to the Soarin’ Hawk veterinary team!  Katherine joined us in June of 2017.  We had just started talking about the need for a vet tech when we received an email from Katherine inquiring if we had any openings.  After reading her bio, we felt that the stars had aligned.  We met shortly thereafter, offered her a job, and she accepted!

Kat’s story:

When I first started college 7 years ago I went into human medicine.  I thought I wanted to be a Physician's Assistant.  After 3 years, I realized that human medicine wasn't for me, but animal medicine was.  I had to apply to the veterinary technology program twice before I got in.  For me, it was Purdue University or nothing.  I've had various jobs over the course of my college career.  I was a lead server for Ceruti's Catering for 4 years.  I also worked on campus at IPFW in the research department as a Student Assistant Technician.  I took care of the research… more

Just a few weeks ago, 10 associates from the Walmart Distribution Center in Auburn IN dedicated their weekend in service to Soarin' Hawk.  In response to our front page call for "more fish"  they spent the weekend restocking our supply of fish while enjoying a day outdoors.  Not only did they bring inthe fish, Walmart has a program that provides  grants to non-profits, based on the number of hours that their associates donate to the community.  The 83 hours contributed by these hardworking folks will provide Soarin' Hawk with a lot of fish and $1,000. 

Thank you Walmart associates and the Walmart Volunteerism Program.

It truly takes a village.

Through the combined efforts of Wildcat Creek, Indiana DNR and Soarin' Hawk, this Sand Hill Crane returns to the wild today.

The pair of red-tailed hawk nestlings rescued in early May https://www.soarinhawk.org/birds/05072017-redtailed%20hawk-two-nestlings have graduated to Hack Boxes.  What is a Hack Box?  It is a man made structure that provided shelter from the elements, protection from predators, a covered balcony, yet is large enough for the birds to exercise a bit. A Hack Box also has door though which our avian care team provides food (without being seen).  As the birds mature over the coming months, the door on the end of the balcony will be opened.  The birds will be free to come and go as they please, Ultimately, they will leave us and find themselves a home territory.