falconer - 06142016 Red-tailed Hawk (2)

On Tuesday, June 14th, I received a call from Jennifer at 10pm about a young hawk that had been seen on the ground for a while in the 46805 area. When I arrived, they were in their front yard with a 5' ladder and flashlights in hand. The young hawk was perched about 12 ft up in a large bush. While he presented alert and upright, the couple informed me that he had been on the ground most of the evening and had been continuously attacked by blue jays in their yard. He was not flying away, but would jump-fly from branch to branch in the area. David held the ladder for me as I climbed up to get closer to what appeared to be a young red tailed hawk. The bird was facing away from me but was aware of my approach. On my first attempt to grab his legs, he turned to face me and raised his wings in an aggressive posture. My second attempt was successful and I brought him close to me and adjusted his wings along his body. As David held the ladder still, I climbed down and placed the hawk in the pet carrier I had brought with me. I didn't see any immediate trauma - feet, legs and wings seemed fine, eyes were both open and focused and his/her mouth (open from stress) didn't show signs of trichomoniasis. The keel did protrude a little, so I wondered if he had eaten recently. What alarmed me was the ease of his capture. I then drove out to the pens at 11pm where Byron helped me put the young bird into a safe pen in the garage along with a small bowl of water. 28June He is growing quickly! Ruby is a good foster mom! 24 Aug 06142016-RTHA. We have been Creance flying this guy, but unfortunately he has not been flying well at all.  His elbow still bothers him.  He will rest awhile longer and we will try Creance flying later in the fall.