Hungry Hawks (and a Falcon)

Posted on March 23, 2019March 23, 2019 by Monte Merrick

Late Winter storms were tough on our region. Rain seemed to fall for days without ceasing and many of us suffered from chronic wet socks and an unshakeable chill. And that endless rain was tough on more than the human community.

In the last two weeks of February, Humboldt Wildlife Care Center admitted 8 birds of prey who were found struggling, their hunting grounds covered in water, or other challenges that caused more than a few area raptors to go hungry.

Young Peregrine Falcon found near Crescent City, mildly anemic and thin. Two weeks of domestic quail (purchased frozen from a supplier in Southern California) and a safe place to recover and he was ready to get back into action

A Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was found struggling near Lake Earl outside of Crescent City, too weak to fly, as well as two Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) from the same area, Crescent City and Brookings, Oregon, just north of Crescent City.

Found in Ferndale, covered in mud and with a deep cut on one of her toes, this Red-tailed Hawk gained over 300 grams (approximately 25% of her body mass) in the month she was in our care. That’s a lot of rats. (about 60 of them actually)

Red-shouldered Hawk, found in the middle of a gravel road near Ferndale wastes no time leaping back into his wild freedom after a little bit more than a week in care.

This adult female Red-tailed Hawk, found in Crescent City grounded with her feathers caked in mud, was a fierce and formidable patient. She refused to eat for the first few days, so un-accepting was she of the indignity of captivity. So we cut her rats in half and she was appetized beyond the reach of her principled disgust with all things human. She started eating. She was released after 10 days in care.

As the Eel River began to flood we admitted five hawks, four Red-tailed Hawks and one Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), from its bottom lands, all of them displaced, wet, cold and hungry.

We can only surmise that there were other wild neighbors who didn’t survive the drenching storms of this winter. The last two weeks of February, during the rains, we admitted 31 wild animals for care, including several songbirds, ducks and gulls. During storms, simply because fewer people are outside, fewer struggling wild animals are found.

Another adult Red-tailed Hawk, found in Brookings after the storms. He was so thin and anemic at the time of his rescue that we weren’t sure he would recover, but here he is a month later, healthy, whole and back at home in the wide sky.

Right now, we are preparing for our busy season, yet also having a busy winter. Already our caseload is up 20% over last year, which was our busiest year so far. We need to raise $50,000 by April 30 to be able to stay open, with our staff and housing ready to meet whatever comes our way. These are trying times for many, and it’s no less true for our wild neighbors. We need to be here for them when they need us. Only your support will make that happen. Please donate today. Thank you for your love of the wild!! DONATE HERE

A Peregrine Falcon we called Carson

Posted on December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 by Monte Merrick

With deep sadness, we say goodbye to one of Humboldt Wildlife Care Center’s most famous captive raptors, the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) we called Carson. Carson served as a “wildlife ambassador” on our education team for more than 12 years. His time with us ended over Thanksgiving weekend, when he was found deceased in his enclosure where he was cared for daily.

The cause of death has yet to be determined, but it’s rare for a captive Peregrine Falcon to live more than 20 years. First admitted as young bird in early 2005, he was no more than two years old. Suffering a fractured femur after having likely been hit by a car, surgery was performed but the bone healed poorly preventing his release.

For many wild animals (over a million animals in the US each year) life ends with being hit by a vehicle. Collisions with cars and trucks account for a huge percentage of Peregrine Falcon fatalities. One study (Barclay and Cade 1983, Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group unpubl.) found that 11% of fatalities in mid-western populations were caused by vehicle collisions.

In the second half of the twentieth century Peregrine Falcons suffered dramatic losses due to widespread use of injurious pesticides (such as DDT) that interfered with reproduction and egg integrity. In fact, Carson was named for Rachel Carson, whose groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, helped fuel the groundswell of public concern over the impact of these toxins in our environment. In 1970, Peregrine Falcons were granted greater federal protection, and when the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, Peregrine Falcons were among the first put on the endangered species list (listed, we say). Banning DDT in the United States in 1972, combined with captive breeding and release programs, gave the species what it needed for recovery. In 1999, Peregrine Falcons were taken of the list of endangered species.

In his life as an “education bird”, Carson was introduced to hundreds of kids and adults throughout the Humboldt region, accompanied by our human education team and a message of conservation. Carson has been painted and photographed many times, and displayed annually at Godwit Days, our local Spring birding festival. In his way, he was a Humboldt celebrity. Carson the Peregrine Falcon with long time education team leader, Merry Maloney, who preceded Carson in death by four years. Both Carson and Merry remain in our hearts.

A life of captivity did not dampen the Falcon’s “implacable arrogance”, as California poet Robinson Jeffers described the wild gaze of the raptor…
In his life as Carson, this Peregrine Falcon touched hundreds of human lives – something that would have never happened without initially being hit by a car. We honor the sacrifice he made as well as the work our education team has done in the name of co-existing with the wild.

We’re grateful for the work of Carson, and all the members of our education team, avian and human, did to promote conservation and love for the wild. Carson’s life came to an end just as HWCC/bax embarks on a new education program, with a heightened awareness of the stress and threats to well-being that captivity poses to wild animals. While humane ethics demand that we discontinue use of live animals in our educational efforts, the work done by our team is acknowledged and appreciated. We look forward to building on that effort, keeping the memory of Carson and all those wild neighbors whose lives were re-directed into captivity by an unfortunate event in our hearts. Your support for our work, and for our staff, especially those who worked closely with Carson and are grieving his loss, is appreciated more than we can ever say. Thank you.

A Crash, Shattered Glass, and a Falcon Desperate to Get Home

Posted on June 28, 2018August 26, 2018 by Monte Merrick

It was past closing time at Humboldt Wildlife Care Center last Friday, approaching early evening, when our phone rang. Typically after hours we let the answering machine pick up our calls as we finish the late day feedings of our many patients.

[Currently we have 62 wild animals in care! Please help us help them, donate today!]

Staff could hear the message: a raptor, possibly a Peregrine Falcon, had come through a window and was now inside a house, in the living room. The caller said that the bird was bleeding and that they wanted to bring the bird to us right then.

All wildlife care providers learn that there is rarely a convenient time to stop working. Our decision to close the clinic at the end of the day isn’t because no animals are injured or found as orphans overnight. We simply don’t have the resources to maintain longer hours, and besides, our patients need a break from us. Captivity is a terrible stress for wild patients and the presence of us, human caregivers, is high on the list of the worst stressors. But a bleeding bird in need is a strong motivator to work a little late.

Birds fly into houses through windows all the time. Each year we go on dozens of calls to help free birds trapped inside, unable to find the window they came in through. Not so typical, though, is that the window they came through was closed.

About 15 minutes after the call we admitted an adult Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) who had flown through the glass.

An examination revealed a strong and healthy female, over a thousand grams in mass, with a laceration on the top of her head and a smaller cut on one of her toes.

Her first night in care she refused her food, or perhaps never even noticed it. Often highly stressed patients won’t eat. Her thawed quail remained untouched. Single-minded in her desire for escape, she struggled at every necessary handling. We closed the two wounds she’d gotten crashing through the window and moved her to an outside aviary in the hopes that her stress would be reduced once outdoors.

At this time of year, it is likely that she has young for whom she still provides. Having left the nest, her young fledglings are reliant on her as they struggle to learn to use the tools of their trade. It’s easy to imagine that her determination that her young thrive contributed to her collision with the window. She is on a mission.

Windows exact a terrible toll on wild birds. From skyscrapers to small cabins, the shocking indignity of the invisibility of glass kills as many as a billion birds in the United states each year. [For measures you can take to reduce bird collisions in your home, click here] At HWCC/bax, so far this year, of the 517 patients admitted, 19 have been birds who collided with a window. Of these 19, only 6 were able to be released. Skull fractures are the most common injuries, as well as irreparable damage done to shoulders and wings.

After 48 hours in care, we examined her again. Confident that her wounds would heal without further care from us, and concerned that her frustration with captivity could cause her further injury, we released her back where she was found.

A large and powerful Peregrine Falcon, the fastest vertebrate on Earth, leaping into the sky from the box you’ve just opened can be startling, even though you are well aware of what’s to come.

The great mystery that surrounds us, the wild universe that’s as far away as our own pulse of blood, as near as the most distant star, is also our home. We are that mystery, and this Falcon is our kin. Your support keeps our doors open and our phone on. Your support is the only thing that makes sure that we are here, to give a determined parent the second chance she needs, after a collision with the civilized world, to return to her own family, and resume her own mission.

Please. Help make sure we’ll always be here for our wild neighbors in need. Donate today. Thank you!

All photos: Laura Corsiglia/BAX

A Falcon’s Peregrination Through Recovery

Posted on October 22, 2016October 22, 2016 by Monte Merrick

As September drew to a close, on its last Monday, a young Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was hit by a car on Samoa Boulevard (route 255) near the intersection with V street, just west of Arcata. Samoa is a highway notorious for its danger to our wild neighbors. Every day a casual survey will find the dead body of someone – a raccoon, a gull, a skunk, a coot, or an opossum – and who knows how many small birds are never seen, who’ve been hit and killed and thrown into the vegetation on either side of the road. Samoa Blvd is a ridiculous name for the route – it should be called the Wildlife Watchout.

[We need your help! We are several thousand dollars away from reaching our October goal of $7000! Our work relies completely on your support. If you can, please donate today! Every little bit helps.]

This falcon was spotted, alive, sitting by the side of the road. A kind-hearted man stopped and scooped the world’s fastest animal (242mph in a dive!) and brought him to our Bayside wildlife hospital, Humboldt Wildlife Care Center.

It is thought by some that Peregrine falcons got their name from people who captured them as juveniles who’d wandered from their nest site, since those nests were usually too remote to reach or even find. It’s not very clear if this is the case, and the source material is vague – but if accurate, since the theory alludes to falconry and the practice of stealing wild falcons and keeping them captive, then we have a parallel in our own time and place.

For many of the last several years, a Peregrine falcon pair have nested in high profile location near Eureka. Local birders and ornithologists tried to keep the site a secret to protect the falcon family from falconers who might try to steal a juvenile. As with the centuries old conjectured etymology, it would have been nearly impossible to reach the nest’s location, but as soon as the juveniles fledge (fly from nest for the first time) they would become easy targets. In fact, over the last few years HWCC has often been called in to give one or more of the young falcons a helping hand, since their first flights usually take them into the heart of downtown Eureka.

A juvenile Peregrine Falcon in care at HWCC in 2012. This youngsters only problem was that her (or his) first flight from his nest landed her on Eureka’s waterfront. Too young to know better, she was easily picked up by a well-intended person and brought to us. After a day of observation to insure she was in good health, we returned her to her family.

When we performed this Peregrine falcon’s initial examination, he (presumed male due to smaller stature) was in good health with the exception of a fractured right ulna. As fractures go, this is one of best he could have gotten. Whether bird, human, other mammal, even dinosaur, vertebrates with limbs have ulnas – it’s one of the many clues that we really are all related. The ulna is the thicker of the two bones, the other being the radius, that make up our forearm, extending from elbow to wrist. Since his radius was intact, it formed a natural splint. A couple of weeks spent with his wing immobilized, his ulna had a very good chance of healing – this bird’s prognosis for release was excellent.

Receiving medicine during initial examination.

Keeping a fierce, wild being in a small enclosure for 2 to 3 weeks is risky – especially for the wild being. While his prognosis for recovery was good, in captivity, anything can happen – accidents with the housing, stress-related trauma – nearly every advance in the husbandry of our patients that rehabilitators have made has come at the cost of patient’s life. So with this in mind we provided a perch that would prevent pressure sores on the bottoms of his feet that can develop when a bird is grounded. We housed him in a soft-sided pen to prevent injuries to his unwrapped wing. We kept him isolated from our noise and commotion to reduce the stress of being unable to put the distance between that he would have greatly preferred.

Every so often we checked the fracture site in order to track the healing process. At last, after 18 days, the fracture was stable with a well formed calloused around the break. We removed the wrap and moved the falcon to an outdoor aviary. To our great pleasure, he immediately burst into flight. All that was needed at this point was some time in the aviary for him to regain any lost strength and for us to make observations that let us know he would be fine upon release.

After 25 days in care, the falcon was ready to go.

Trying to evade the net while being captured for his release evaluation.

Thinking outside the box!

A new volunteer on her first release – these moments are the joy of our work.

… back into wild, blue yonder …

While we wish every patient who’d been hit by a car that we treat could have such an awesome outcome, the truth is that it’s rare that anyone survives such an impact. But for wild animals, without someone stopping to get them help, and without people like you who support our work, none who are injured would survive. If not for you, this bird, and every other patient we admit, would have been an uncounted statistic of the damage to nature caused by civilization. Thank you for your support!

Want to contribute? Click here!

All photos: Laura Corsiglia/BAX

Young Peregrine Falcon Re-united with Family!

Posted on June 25, 2015June 25, 2015 by Monte Merrick

Late in the evening, June 5 our facebook page for Humboldt Wildlife Care Center received a message. A paddle-boarder had rescued “a hawk of some kind” who had been struggling in the water of Humboldt Bay.

The next morning, right after we opened the clinic, the kind person brought in a young Peregrine Falcon.

After an examination, it was obvious that the bird must have fallen from the nest. Her primary feathers, which are needed for flight, weren’t grown in sufficiently for a fledgling – a real shame. She had no injuries except for dehydration and exhaustion from her watery ordeal. If she had been old enough to fly we could have provided her with fluid support and some nutrition then released her back to her family. But this bird was about a week shy of that and would need to go back to her nest, which we couldn’t accomplish, or we would have to raise the youngster until she was old enough to reunite with her family.

The young Peregrine Falcon in our purpose built aviary, the Merry Maloney Raptor House

A Peregrine Falcon is a very special kind of animal that presents steep challenges to successfully raise. While every species has its own advantages and unique characteristics, some animals represent the outermost limitations of life – the Blue Whale is largest, the Ocean Quahog is a clam that can live to be 500 years old, and the Peregrine Falcon can top 200 miles per hour when diving toward prey. Providing the environment they need to become successful wild adults is filled with special problems. Simply offering thawed mice and room to fly, while critical for her care, wouldn’t be enough for such a specialist to learn to how to survive on her own.

Learning to fly

Unfortunately, by the time our patient was flying, her family had already left their nest. In fact, we’d even responded to a call from a Eureka resident about a bird of prey exhibiting strange behavior near the Humboldt County Library. When we’d arrived on the scene we found an adult Peregrine Falcon (now saddled with a radio transmitter) protecting one of her young ,who had fledged from the nest and was still getting the hang of flight.

If the parents weren’t at the nest, and if we weren’t able to predict where they would be, it looked like we wouldn’t be able to re-unite this family after all.

Raising self-sufficient predators is a task best left to their parents. But if re-uniting wasn’t going to be possible, then we had to start planning for this one’s education. So we began developing the curriculum for our new course, Becoming a Peregrine Falcon.

She was doing quite well, regularly finding and eating the mice we provided, as well as developing better flight skills. In the middle of designing a method to simulate hunting ducks on water, which is one of the Peregrine Falcon’s specialties, both she and we got a lucky break.

While running errands, we saw the parent falcon near the nest site, days after having been sighted at the nearby library. Given that our patient had already demonstrated rudimentary hunting skills and that the parents were staying close to the old nest site, we seized the opportunity to release the young falcon with confidence that the bird would have ample time to rejoin her parents.

BAX/HWCC staff rehabilitator, Lucinda Adamson, captures the falcon for release.

Last Saturday, after 2 weeks in care, we took the falcon to the area where we’d last seen the adult. We chose a spot where she would have plenty of opportunities to hunt while waiting for mom or dad to show up. When the box was opened the bird jumped out to the ground, took a quick look around, then launched into flight. The bird crossed the water, making a beeline for the library.

From the car as they followed, our release team was able to see the youngster flying toward an adult Peregrine Falcon, who was up above the library building. The two birds immediately began calling to each other and circling nearer. Less than ten minutes out of our hands, this wild family was together again.

The parent falcon, in a photograph enlarged many times

The young falcon in flight, far from our team, close to her parent.

Thanks to the support you provide, Bird Ally X/Humbodlt Wildlife Care Center helps keep wild families together all over the Redwood Coast, and beyond. Thanks to your support, this falcon will learn to be a falcon from the best in the business, her mother. If you want to help us directly feed our predator patients, you can support us through our supplier of frozen rodents at Layne Labs, with a gift certificate, or you can use the donate button on this page. Thank you for being a part of this life-saving work!

all photos: Laura Corsiglia/Bird Ally X

Friday the 13th a ‘lucky’ day for this Peregrine Falcon

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Monte Merrick

Usually when a call comes in to Humboldt Wildlife Care Center, our clinic in Bayside, about a bird of prey who’s been struck by a vehicle, it doesn’t end well. So when the kind man who stopped to scoop up a Peregrine Falcon from Myrtle Avenue last Friday (the 13th) pulled up to our door, wildlife rehabilitator Lucinda Adamson was hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.

Lucinda greeted the rescuer and went out with him to his truck.

Inside the covered bed, the falcon had gotten loose and was trying to fly.

“The rescuer called on his way to say the bird must have only been stunned,” Lucinda recalled, “he asked me, ‘should I just let him out?’ – I said no bring the bird in… might as well check him out.”

Lucinda had to get the falcon from the truck with one of our aviary nets. While the rescuer provided some basic information, she gave the bird a quick exam to see if he could be released.

Peregrine Falcons, like Bald Eagles and Brown Pelicans, were nearly extirpated in the United States due to exposure to the pesticide DDT. While other factors, such as wanton killing and habitat loss, contributed to their vulnerability, banning DDT and offering the protections of the Endangered Species Act allowed the world’s fastest animal(over 240 miles per hour!) to survive.

Peregrine Falcons were removed from the Endangered Species list in 1999.

While the population is on much better footing now, threats to individual birds still remain. Gunshot, fishing line entanglements, and vehicle strikes are common causes of injury to these birds.

This falcon, most likely a male judging from his relatively small size, was first seen in the road eating a dove. The bird’s rescuer said it caused him concern so he turned around to check on him. When he passed again the falcon was splayed on the pavement. Seemingly dead, he was easy to pick up.

Lucinda Adamson, HWCC/BAX Wildlife Rehabilitator, checks the weight of the lucky Falcon (photo: LCorsiglia/BAX)

Remarkably, upon Lucinda’s intial examination, no bones were broken. The only thing amiss was a small amount of blood in the bird’s mouth, possibly belonging to the dove. She decided to keep the bird in care for observation and further evaluation. After receiving a mild anti-inflammatory and fluids, the falcon was placed into his temporary housing. Immediately he was attempting to fly from the small enclosure.

An exam the next morning, so far so good! (photo: LCorsiglia/BAX)

The next morning the bird seemed as strong and determined as ever. He was desperate for freedom. An additional exam confirmed that the bird had no signicant injuries.

We took him back to the neighborhood where he was found. Lucinda opened the carrier, greeted by his intimidating glare. Once he saw his chance, the falcon sprang from the box into flight.