Juvenile red tail hawk
The stare
While walking my dog Chuck in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday afternoon around 4, we nearly walked smack into this juvenile red tail hawk, which appeared to have a broken wing. It was perched on a fallen branch, staring at first me, then Chuck but not moving an inch. I sat cross-legged not four feet from the beautiful creature and stared right back.
I spent the next hour trying to reach someone via cellphone who could come to the poor raptor’s aid, to no avail. Two messages left at the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center were not returned. A friendly woman working dispatch for the APD tried to find someone at HSU who could assist, but no one had shown by 5, at which point it was starting to get dark.
Eventually, the bird got tired of staring at me and Chuck and the assortment of astonished passers-by who had gathered, and he (I think it was a he) started hopping down the trail. By jumping awkwardly from branch to branch, he made his way up into a tree, then flew/fell into the underbrush. Dusk had settled, and I could no longer see him.
I’m not sure why it was so difficult to get help for injured wildlife while sitting in a wildlife sanctuary in one of the country’s most eco-friendly communities. I’d been warned against handling it myself, though he sure would have been easy to catch.
When I got back to the office, I searched for the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center Web site and
came across this
, which appears to be a Japanese site advertising dental implants. According to Babel Fish, it offers “in plant remedy the artificial dental root of titanium … on that of the pad in the bone of the jaw which is inside the gum.”
Doesn’t help the hawk much. I’m not sure what will become of him, though imminent death is probably a good bet. For my part, it was an amazing hour. Birds, unlike mammals, don’t seem to communicate much with their eyes — to me, at any rate. The hawk didn’t appear to be attempting to communicate with me telepathically, and I don’t think we connected on a soul level or anything like that. But the fact that he sat so close to me for so long — that’s clearly not normal behavior for a hawk, and I couldn’t help interpreting that as a call for help.
This article appears in Election Atlas.
You had to google it – that’s their old address – or the wrong address….
http://www.humwild.org/
That’s the right one. (Next time, you COULD throw a shirt over him, and scoop him up and drive him to the center. You might get scratched, but…)
The bottom photo is very striking!
Sometimes there isn’t anything you can do. And, you probably already know these but just in case here are all 3 numbers for the Humboldt Wildcare Center
707-822-8839 or
707-768-3092 or
707-442-1420
Another option would be to call the Calif. Raptor Center which is in Yolo Co. but might have contacts here. 530-752-6091
I gave you the link but the comment is awaiting moderation. What’s up with that? Man, what kinda blog is this?
It’s there now. Thanks, Rose.
And thanks for the digits, Kym. BTW, I take a compliment from you on photography as high praise indeed.
Any word on whether or not he is still there?
Why not make a cash donation to the Rescue Mission in honor of that hawk? They will use it to help humans who also have broken parts.
you did the right thing. let nature take its course. beautiful pictures.
It’s disappointing that you were not able to get help for the hawk but I understand your reticence regarding not wanting to grab it. If someone has heavy gloves and is careful to stay away from the feet they aren’t difficult to handle; trust me, I’ve got a lot of experience with these guys. Holding it’s legs (away from you) and securing a soft shirt around it’s body is an okay way to transport it.
Yes, it’s natural selection that you encountered but I’m always wanting to help, anyway. For the record, red tails have a 74% mortality rate in their first year so I don’t believe we’ll ever been inundated with them.
Most injuries to wildlife have human causes…such as being hit by cars, so it’s not exactly “nature” taking its course….