Bird Cams Around the World

oops. somehow this was posted twice hence why i am deleting the duplicate

Just an update on the injured hawk from Philadelphia's Franklin Institue reported today on our local all news radio statio


Molly Daly-KYW1060 AM

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Nearly two weeks ago, the lone surviving fledgling from the Franklin Institute Red-tailed Hawk nest was found injured on the Ben Franklin Parkway and taken to the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic in Upper Roxborough. The young raptor appears to be on the mend.

Fans call him Peanut, the last to hatch and smallest of the three, but the first to leave the nest. Clinic Director Rick Schubert says it’s not clear how the bird was injured.

“It’s a very high likelihood that he was hit by a car or rolled by a car,” he says. “The animals can’t talk to us; you have to use detective skills to find out what happened to it, and what’s wrong with it.”

It’s a step-by-step process, says Schubert. “So first, we give the animal a very thorough examination, trying to find any kind of injuries. Then we give it supportive care — we give it anti-inflammatory meds, we give it some fluid therapy. Then,” Schubert says, “we call our vet, and the vet gives it a further exam, and gives it an x-ray to look for fractures. And then it’s supportive care for a couple of weeks, and close observation, as well as nutritional supplementation.”

Schubert says Peanut couldn’t use his legs at first, but now, he’s sitting on a perch.

“He’s getting a lot better. I’m still cautiously optimistic, but the animal’s a lot better than it was last week.”

There’s one big sign of improvement — the bird is loudly demanding food.

“He’s eating very well now. Originally, he was not eating, but now he’s eating on his own. He’s crying for food if he doesn’t get fed fast enough.”

Peanut’s meals come from the rodent aisle of the wildlife grocery store.



“We buy frozen mice from a place that breeds them — they’re feeder mice. Fortunately for us, red-tailed hawks will eat dead mice.”

The bird’s also looking feisty, sitting upright with feathers fluffed and hackles raised — and shrieking — when a human approaches his cage.

“There’s one thing I’ve learned about animals is that every animal is an individual. This particular hawk is very, very vocal. Some are, some aren’t.”

It’s not clear how long Peanut’s recovery will take, or when or if he’ll be released. “It’s too soon to tell,” says Schubert. “The bird was really iffy just a few days ago, so, we’ll just have to take it day by day. If everything goes right, best case scenario — in a few weeks.”

In that event, Schubert says it’s not likely the young hawk will be returned to the Parkway.

“I probably would not release him back into Center City, because if he got in trouble there in the first place, he’s likely to get in trouble there again. So I’d probably find a little bit of a better habitat for him than the Ben Franklin Parkway.”

Although Peanut’s fans are closely following his progress, he’s just one of a number of patients in the wildlife hospital’s care.

“It’s interesting, because to me, it’s another patient that needs our help, and we give the same amount of care to all our patients. So we realize this is a special hawk that a lot of people have an emotional attachment to. But we give the same amount of care to this hawk as we do to all our other patients, and hope they make it and survive.”

The Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilition Clinic is a non-profit that relies on donations to its parent organization, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.

“Any donations are gratefully accepted,” says Schubert, “monetary donations to the Schuylkill Center, or in-kind donations of paper towels, cat and dog food, and anything else you find on our website schuylkillcenter.org/ You can find our wish list of donations and supplies we need to take care of the animals there

The story about Peanut brings back a memory of a juvie redtail at a garden centre I worked at years ago..it cried and cried while sitting out on a post in the tree sale lot...It let us approach and I dug out some nightcrawler out of the mulchpile and took them over and threw them down on the ground in front of it...It went for them..and quickly ate them...so we went to the store at lunchtime.... and bought some fresh raw beef, and brought it back...took it out to it... and it let us approach again...We threw the meat down on the ground in front of it...food barely hit the ground... and it was on it in a flash...manteling....LOL ...It was shocking how it ripped into it!
Over the next few days....It would cry and cry when it was hungry..so we fed it for a few days...And the last we saw of it...it had grabbed a roadkill rabbit off the highway...and there was another redtail following it and it's "prey" to the woods...
I can "HEAR" the cries they are talking about in the article! LOL...can't ignore that sound!!

sp glad this little hawk is making a recovery. And yes, there are great care facilities out there that are caring to each individual brought in

from the cornell hawk watch blog via the cornell bird cams site some more sad news

August 13, 2013

Sad News About Injured Hawk

We are sorry that we have more sad news to share today. Despite having been under the best possible, expert, care since Friday, the hawk had injuries that were ultimately too extensive and severe to enable recovery and quality of life. The veterinary team determined that it was time to euthanize the hawk. We are very sad, but also take comfort in knowing that he is no longer suffering and in pain. Our heartfelt thanks to the veterinary staff at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center who gave the hawk the best possible second chance. He would not have survived in the wild and the staff did everything they could to help this bird recover and make him comfortable. He received fluid therapy, nutritional supplements, and medications to control pain, infection, and parasites. He had assisted feeding because he could not eat on his own, and he could not stand. Because of tendon, joint, and nerve damage in both legs, and severe damage to his toes, including one missing toe and one toe that would have required amputation, he would likely never be able to stand or to capture and hold prey. His condition was reported as depressed and dehydrated despite fluid treatment. As anyone knows who has faced the difficult decision of euthanasia for a pet, this is always a very difficult decision to make and is guided by the current and probable future well-being of the patient. We have requested the Wildlife Health Center to send us photos of the hawk’s plumage for identification clues that can be compared with images and observations of the young hawks we watched grow up together this season in Big Red's and Ezra’s nest. Circumstantial evidence, including observations from our dedicated on-the-ground observers, suggests the strong possibility that he was one of the Ds. Either way, today we can celebrate the life of young hawks and all that we’ve learned while getting to know and appreciate them. Many times in the chat we talk about the survivorship challenges for young birds, and though we all know this is the way of nature, it is still sad for us when we see it happen. Thanks to all of you who have followed the hawks and to our cam moderators and to the BOGs for their observations on the ground. Your outpouring of positive words, good wishes, and support have meant so much to us, and to the staff who cared for this hawk during the past few days. What a lucky bird to have been valued and loved by so many.

from the philly.com website. wish the hawks were able to shoot back



Shore-area man arrested for allegedly shooting, killing hawks


Frank Kummer, PHILLY.COM

Last updated: Friday, August 23, 2013, 10:50 AM

A Somers Point, Atlantic County, man has been arrested by federal officials today for allegedly shooting at hawks on six different occasions from his home, killing some and wounding others.

Federal officials fear he might be responsible for killing many other birds of prey.

Robert Losasso, 68, was charged in a federal complaint in U.S. District Court in N.J. with either fatally shooting, or attempting to kill, red-tailed hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-shoulder hawks and Cooper's hawks - all which migrate from Canada each year.

Residents of Somers Point within a four block radius of Losasso have reported during the past two and a half years that they have seen more than 40 dead or injured birds of prey in and around their yards. Some of their homes were peppered with bullets or pellets in the process. At times, they say they heard gunshots coming from Losasso's property.

According to the complaint, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation documented Losasso having shot at the birds from Dec. 2012 through April of this year using scope-equipped .22 caliber rifle and a .17 caliber pellet guns.

The hawks are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Red-shouldered hawks are on the endangered list and sharp-shinned, and Cooper's hawks are protected in New Jersey.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Shore ... QbIgEkm.99

ONTO Some good news! The injured Franklin Institute eyass has been moved into a 50 foot flight pen along with a small corral to hone his hunting skills. On the FI Hawkaholics site there was a post this morning saying good news to come but they are deferring to the rehabbers and moderators to spill the beans. Hope that "Peanut's" release is iminent

NEWS FLASH dateline philadelphia

Ms Michelle Wellard, assistant rehabber at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Center today posted the following on "The Franklin Hawkaholics" Facebook page


"Greetings hawk fans. Although you probably suspect it, since someone spilled the beans, I'm happy to report that today Peanut was released to an excellent undisclosed location. He is flying, soaring, and hunting. He will be supported with food drops to ensure he gets his bearings. It's the perfect spot for a hawk - lots of prey and perching, but not too many human-caused dangers. Thank you all so much for caring so much, and for the donations to the clinic. Fly free and live well, young hawk!"

this is so great. Thanks for sharing

We always need these good end results

I've followed the Washington Square Park RTH's since Violet and Bobby then Rosie and Bobby. Blogger/watcher Roger_Paw has reported that there has been at least 27 poison rat traps observed around the park area, some right around the nest building. Last night, she reported that on the 23rd, Rosie was seen eating a rat that was probably poisoned and she hasn't been seen since then. Roger_Paw has written to the WSP Administrator, trying to explain that the RTH pair are year-round residents and could die from consuming poisoned rats. The link to her blog is:

http://rogerpaw.blogspot.com/search?upd ... ults=6&m=0

She has said in her blog that if anyone is upset with these traps to please write Ms. Neilson about your concerns. Her email address and telephone no. are listed at the end of her November 28th blog post.

Thanks! I did too! For some reason those people down there can't get it through their heads that the RTH's are year-round residents. The poison is also detrimental to pets and children if they come in contact with it...so many alternatives...containment of garbage, safe traps, no feeding of wildlife in the park, etc...
PS Good news! Roger_Paw saw Rosie today and she looked good!

I received this email today and wanted to share. I hope some of you will participate tomorrow.

PLEASE HELP...
Our NYC Red Tailed Hawks need your help once again! Last year it was Pale Male's Sanctuary, Central Park, that posed a deadly threat to the hawks. Now, Bobby & Rosie, the much loved majestic pair of Red Tailed Hawks that reside in and around Washington Square Park, are seriously endangered in the same way.
The NYC Department of Parks &Recreation has placed an alarming number of toxin-filled rat traps in every area of the park and will not remove them. We need immediate action now. Your calls last year helped to persuade the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History to remove their traps. Please help us help the Hawks once again!!

Please call tomorrow, Thursday, December 12th, 9-5pm EST. Here are the names and numbers:

Sarah Neilson- (212) 408-0297, Exec. Director of the Washington Square Park Conservancy
Veronica M. White- (212) 360-1305, Commissioner NYC Parks Dept. Commissioner . ( Please call Ms. Neilson first, she usually will not answer nor get back to you, then let the Commissioner's office know that you tried and now need action.)
Tell them courteously in your own words:
1- That you are very disturbed about the rat poison traps in Washington Square
Park and concerned for the majestic hawks that live there.
2-How much you respect and love these hawks and why
3- That they and their offspring have been watched by thousands via a hawk cam and online blogs that document their lives. And how shameful it would be for the City if they were to be poisoned.
4-That there are other alternatives, such as:
-Emptying the garbage cans frequently and keeping them covered.
-Purchasing rat-proof trash cans and/or solar-powered waste compactors.
- Using rodent-repellant trash bags.
-Using snap traps rather than poison traps.
5-If food and shelter are not reduced, rat numbers can rebound quickly following lethal control measures by increasing breeding frequency and producing larger litter sizes.

Thank them and hope that they remove the poison soon.

You can email them also (and call when it is convenient for you).
Sarah.Neilson@parks.nyc.gov
hello@washingtonsquareparkconservancy.org
Veronica.white@parks.nyc.gov

I signed this earlier-thanks for posting it here!