skyboybry
09-27-2007, 09:32 PM
I had a timber company thin out Skyboy Mountain's dense pine tree population in June. Before they started, I flagged all the pine trees that I wanted to keep, and I was trying to check them all for bird nests. I wanted the timber company to start in the fall for the only reason being I have all kinds of birds up here that nest, but it just didn't work out that way. I, after all, am a big softy for animals. Humans, for the most part, can go jump in the lake for all I'm concerned. I'm the guy you see stopped in the middle of the road rescuing a turtle.
Well, it had to happen. It was the first week that they were there and I came home on the GT when I saw a baby Broad Winged hawk just sitting in the middle of my driveway. I was of course wearing my helmet & it's a good thing because the mom was probably close by, even though I didn't see her. (Do you think I should've replaced my helmet if I got divebombed?) I'll bet nobody thought of ATGATT for that reason! So I picked him up & rode up the remaining half mile gravel driveway to my house with the bird in my crotch. <insert joke here>
I got him in the house & he was in very good condition, considering he just fell out of his nest from a 40' tree. He couldn't even stand on his own, that's how young he was. I made a nest out of a basket & some towels, and kept him inside. I called the local wild bird rescue in Hot Springs & they referred me to another rescue place that's close to my work (68 miles away). The lady that answered the phone didn't seem very interested & wanted me to keep the poor thing at my International truck dealership all day long. It wasn't something I could do very easily. It's illegal to keep a raptor in captivity without a permit, but I've had pet birds for my entire life, so I weighed my options & kept the feller. Now, before you admonish me for keeping the hawk, let me say that my stepmother is a veterinarian in New Jersey, so I consulted her. I was going to do everything possible to get this guy back to the wild very healthy. I own a mountain, so I have plenty of room for him to fly around & get used to the wild. I made up my mind the first day that he was not going to be a pet (although I had to keep reminding myself that). I named him Cuddles, just because that would make him an enigma. My other bird is named Ultra Baby.
He started eating immediately, and had a voracious appetite for raw hamburger & chicken livers. He was so cute! I would tuck him in at night under his towels & he would stay there until I woke him up in the morning. Jeez this guy could eat! I kept track of his weight & exercised him every day. He had trouble keeping his mouth open because he was always hungry. It was like you could watch him grow. His feathers looked like dandelion seeds.
About two or three weeks later, he got big enough to keep on my screened-in back porch, so I set up stuff for him to fly onto. When I got home he would be waiting for me to feed him livers. I've never seen something so disgusting, the way he tore them up. BLAGH! But he was growing fast. I would take him for walks around my property & he would see something on the ground that would get his curiosity and he would fly down to check it out, then he would jump back onto my hand & off we'd go. I spent hours outside with him letting him flap around & check out everything. It was amazing how he acclimated to me. He would come to me when I called. Wow, I thought, Cuddles sure would make a good pet. But I couldn't, I have enough trouble getting someone to watch Ultra Baby when I have to get away for a while, let alone a full grown hawk that I wasn't supposed to have in the first place.
When he was ready, I let him stay overnight in trees that he flew into, and there he'd be in the morning waiting for some food. He was becoming a pet, but I could tell that he wanted to be free. He was eating live mice & was flying with no problem. Well, there we were taking a shower outside (no, I don't only have an outside shower) like we'd do every other day, & he flew into a tree. I had to go to work, but he didn't come to me when I called. He was gone when I got home (sniff). I called all the next day, but I guess he was ready to go off on his own.
It's been a month or so since he's been gone, and there are other hawks in the area, so I don't know if it's him. It sure was satisfying to raise that guy. I have to look at the pics, because it's incredible how he grew & changed in the 8 weeks I had him. I'm glad I didn't hand my boy over to that lady.
sbB
Well, it had to happen. It was the first week that they were there and I came home on the GT when I saw a baby Broad Winged hawk just sitting in the middle of my driveway. I was of course wearing my helmet & it's a good thing because the mom was probably close by, even though I didn't see her. (Do you think I should've replaced my helmet if I got divebombed?) I'll bet nobody thought of ATGATT for that reason! So I picked him up & rode up the remaining half mile gravel driveway to my house with the bird in my crotch. <insert joke here>
I got him in the house & he was in very good condition, considering he just fell out of his nest from a 40' tree. He couldn't even stand on his own, that's how young he was. I made a nest out of a basket & some towels, and kept him inside. I called the local wild bird rescue in Hot Springs & they referred me to another rescue place that's close to my work (68 miles away). The lady that answered the phone didn't seem very interested & wanted me to keep the poor thing at my International truck dealership all day long. It wasn't something I could do very easily. It's illegal to keep a raptor in captivity without a permit, but I've had pet birds for my entire life, so I weighed my options & kept the feller. Now, before you admonish me for keeping the hawk, let me say that my stepmother is a veterinarian in New Jersey, so I consulted her. I was going to do everything possible to get this guy back to the wild very healthy. I own a mountain, so I have plenty of room for him to fly around & get used to the wild. I made up my mind the first day that he was not going to be a pet (although I had to keep reminding myself that). I named him Cuddles, just because that would make him an enigma. My other bird is named Ultra Baby.
He started eating immediately, and had a voracious appetite for raw hamburger & chicken livers. He was so cute! I would tuck him in at night under his towels & he would stay there until I woke him up in the morning. Jeez this guy could eat! I kept track of his weight & exercised him every day. He had trouble keeping his mouth open because he was always hungry. It was like you could watch him grow. His feathers looked like dandelion seeds.
About two or three weeks later, he got big enough to keep on my screened-in back porch, so I set up stuff for him to fly onto. When I got home he would be waiting for me to feed him livers. I've never seen something so disgusting, the way he tore them up. BLAGH! But he was growing fast. I would take him for walks around my property & he would see something on the ground that would get his curiosity and he would fly down to check it out, then he would jump back onto my hand & off we'd go. I spent hours outside with him letting him flap around & check out everything. It was amazing how he acclimated to me. He would come to me when I called. Wow, I thought, Cuddles sure would make a good pet. But I couldn't, I have enough trouble getting someone to watch Ultra Baby when I have to get away for a while, let alone a full grown hawk that I wasn't supposed to have in the first place.
When he was ready, I let him stay overnight in trees that he flew into, and there he'd be in the morning waiting for some food. He was becoming a pet, but I could tell that he wanted to be free. He was eating live mice & was flying with no problem. Well, there we were taking a shower outside (no, I don't only have an outside shower) like we'd do every other day, & he flew into a tree. I had to go to work, but he didn't come to me when I called. He was gone when I got home (sniff). I called all the next day, but I guess he was ready to go off on his own.
It's been a month or so since he's been gone, and there are other hawks in the area, so I don't know if it's him. It sure was satisfying to raise that guy. I have to look at the pics, because it's incredible how he grew & changed in the 8 weeks I had him. I'm glad I didn't hand my boy over to that lady.
sbB