Rehabilitated Raptor Release Part I

Bobby Horvath with a Triborough fledgling.
I'd asked Bobby Horvath, the wildlife rehabilitator who most often gets the call when the police or Animal Control end up with injured birds or misplaced young raptors, if I could tag along on one of his releases of rehabilitated animals. He called on Tuesday with an invitation for the next day's release and I jumped at the chance. As I've just passed New York State's written exam for Wildlife Rehabilitator, I was ready to learn as much as possible from the man who's done so much of it in the last 15 years. He does know his stuff.



Bobby said we would be releasing two fledgling Red-tails to the pair who have the nest on the Queen's end of the Triborough Bridge. He had also treated the female of that pair for poisoning at the end of last year's breeding season and now babies were coming back to her from this season. He definitely has a history with this family of hawks and if it weren't for him, this area might well not have a resident Red-tail family at all.

And he said, beyond the Red-tail youngsters, he had a number of Kestrels that needed to go back to the wild as well.

Next morning off I went to Queens. When the car pulled up Bobby was there but also his wife Cathy, another rehabber, daughter Sadie plus cat carriers of Red-tails and Kestrels.

While Bobby dons the baby carrier, Cathy holds an eyass in her right arm and Sadie in her left. Cathy has done much of the care for the birds to be released today. In conversation I find out, that like myself in childhood, both she and Bobby came home with every stray or injured animal they ran across.

The group begins to gather, Jules, the main observer of the Triborough nest, the park rangers who watched over the grounded and dehydrated eyasses as the construction was so loud that the parents couldn't hear the begging and therefore were not cued to feed plus photographer Francois Portmann and film maker Adam Welz--hawkwatchers all.

Sadie goes into the baby carrier and Bobby pulls out the Red-tail leg gauge which shows which size leg band is best for a bird.

The gauge also denotes the likely sex of the bird by leg size, though some sizes are relegated to both as there is an overlap between male and female size.

There is a park adjacent to the bridge nest, and as we walk Jules points out which trees the parents have been known to roost in and some of their favorite perches. We're in search for a good multi-leveled clump of trees for the fledglings to wait for the adults to appear.

A park ranger one of the young bird's saviors is given the honor of placing him in the chosen tree. Another ranger has brought along a ladder.

It's set up and the releasing ranger climbs it.

Up the eyass goes to a likely branch, unfortunately for the ranger the bird doesn't have a good grip, comes down on his neck and then uses said neck for a springboard to a branch on the left. The fledgling gets a grip and gives a satisfied wiggle of his tail.

And immediately flap hops up the tree.

The first takes stock and orients himself.

In the meantime the second has begun to hop flap up a tree as well.

He takes stock, orients and both head for the top.

By now, number 1 has gotten to some thinner twigs and is wobbling.

And the "magic" of little bird magnetism to fledgling raptors once again holds true. The surrounding trees begin to fill with Robins and Mocking Birds all scolding the offending youngsters.

While the youngsters begin to notice the irate smaller birds, Jules explains that this area has a very nice rat population. We've also seen squirrels and pigeons in the park and it does seem a very nice place to spend one's hawk adolescence learning the tricks of the raptor trade.

Jules has emailed the folks that use the dog run over the hill and let them know that the young raptors are back. She says they are very cooperative, and now that they know, they won't give into the temptation of allowing their dog off the lead in the park due to the possibility of young Red-tails on the ground.

The workers tending the area are told what is going on and the park rangers say everyone will keep an eye on the two fledglings.

Head popping out of the top of this tree, the fledgling gauges what it will take to branch to the next taller one.

Now the mighty hunter.

Now the Robin's victim.

And so they go, higher and higher. Having each had a full eight mice for breakfast, both are interested in investigation rather than food at the moment.

Continue to the next post for PART II