Story via Volunteer Mary Koher:
I was out and about when I received a call from Bob stating that a lady had just picked up a hawk on Hillegas Road and he wondered if I could meet up with her. I met her in the parking lot of the Three Rivers Wesleyan Church which is just down the way from where she found the bird standing off to the side of the road. She indicated to me that she thought it was a juvenile as there was another hawk soaring in the air above screaming at her! She did not have any gloves and unfortunately was taloned while rescuing it. She didn’t have a box so she just put the bird in the back of her car. When I went to get it, it had moved itself to the ledge between the seat and the rear window. It immediately went into its defensive posture so I was able to easily grab it by the legs and remove it from the car. It was an adult red tail hawk and I told her that the one screaming might have been its mate. I couldn’t do a field assessment as it had such a grip on my gloves I could only back out of them and I placed them and the bird in the rescue box. I transported it to our ICU where I was able to use another pair of gloves to remove it from the rescue box. My brief assessment revealed a good keel, at least a 3, eyes were reactive, wings, legs and talons all appeared normal. I did note a small amount of blood in the mouth. Perhaps from something that it was eating or had eaten? Since it was found on the side of the road chances are it might have been hit or rolled by a passing vehicle and perhaps that is what caused the blood…we will never know. I placed him in a large cage with a perch and offered water. He will be fully examined by the ICU crew when they arrive later this evening.
Intake Number : #07292018RTHA
