Released Bird Profile

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.  I transported the hawk to our critical care facility where he was given an exam, subcutaneous fluids, pain reliever and an antibiotic.  We could not find anything wrong with the wings, eyes or talons and for the most part it was alert but obviously a little lethargic given the situation it just experienced.  The keel score was 2.5 and the vent tone was good.  However we did note a small amount of blood in the mouth that was swabbed out and didn’t seem to reappear. He was then placed into a large ICU cage for the night.  Our hope is that he was just “stunned” and needs some time to rest and recuperate.  Dr Funnell will take him in for radiographs and a full assessment tomorrow morning.

Initial examination by avian veterinarian:  This exam took place several hours after our very capable volunteers had assessed and admitted the Cooper's Hawk.  He was bright, alert and very feisty.  Radiographs did not reveal any abnormalities.  Blood was drawn for a CBC.  

He will be creance flown today.  If he flies well, strong and without getting winded, he will be released today at a city park close to where he was found.