Falconer Rescues Hawk from Home Dept

From time to time falconers receive phone calls from animal officers, state officials and residents regarding injured or trapped birds of prey.  Our unique experiences with raptors allows us to assist in situations which others may not know how to handle.

In early March, Wendy Pavlicek received a phone call from the state falconry coordinator, stating that a hawk was trapped in a Home Depot in northern MA.  She was asked to check out the situation.  It ended up being a red shoulder hawk (not a coopers hawk, which commonly seeks small birds as prey and often gets in to buildings).  This hawk had smashed into the windows at Home Depot and became stunned.  One of the employees tried to help the bird out, then it ended up flying towards the door and into the building.

Customers, managers and employees were very concerned for the birds’ well being.  After 3 different nightly visits and 14  hours, the hawk was successfully rescued by Wendy Pavlicek with the use of a live trap (BC trap).

The bird was brought to a vet, checked over and rehabbed for 2-3 weeks until it was released back into the wild.  The red shoulder was released at a near by marsh with plenty of fields and prey available.  We wish her luck and hope she continues on to raise young this year.

Falconers are not only dedicated to the sport of falconry/hunting, but also dedicated to helping the beautiful creatures we respect and honor.

 (Photos of the release below were take by wildlife photographer Marcel Ledoux) 

See all photos and original article.