“One season following another...”

As baby owl season segues out of sight, baby hawk season starts...and this mouthy little beauty came in last week. He was found on the ground; the finders didn’t see a nest anywhere. He has no injuries but does have a very healthy appetite, although he’s quite the connoisseur, with very definite opinions as to how his meals should be served...apparently no one ever told him beggars can’t be choosers! (And yes, I *may* have gone a wee bit overboard with "baby" pix, but Lordamercy--look at the little darlin'!)

In case the description wasn’t a dead giveaway, he’s a little red shoulder hawk, aka the “screaming Mimis” or “leather-lungs” of the hawk world, and he’s shown measurable growth just since intake on Tuesday. And yes, his lungs are in excellent shape: he screams at dawn; he screams while eating; he screams while napping; he screams at dusk...about the only time he’s totally silent is in the dead of night.

He cast a pellet the very first morning after intake--always good!

Sadly, two adult raptors who came in last week weren’t as lucky.

This second-year red tail hawk had an open humerus fracture and required euthanasia.

And this adult barred owl had a shoulder fracture and a ruptured right eye, so he also required euthanasia. The photo below was taken after euthanasia, to show the extent of damage to the eye.

In better news, the great horned was released and wasted no time skedaddling and, as you can see from the very short release video below—check out the right side of the frame as she goes in for a landing on the left—the songbirds wasted no time harassing her!

The brancher barred is now in the mini-pen and is delighted to have room to stretch his wings; by week’s end he should be ready for the main flight.

It’s still a weirdly slow baby season, although you wouldn’t know it by the food bill for these feathered bottomless pits—rodent prices, as with human food, are steadily rising, so it may be a good thing it’s a slowish year. (And I probably just invited Murphy to the party and the “baby” floodgates will open now...)