Burned Red-tailed Hawk Recovers at WildCare Transition
It's raptor migration season, which means that birds of prey are filling the skies over the San Francisco Bay Area as they make their way down the Pacific Flyway.
Migrating birds face many hazards, but this bird's reason for admission to the Wildlife Hospital surprised even our team at WildCare — he was burned by a methane flare at a waste transfer station in Richmond!
In this photo, you can see the singed feathers on the bird's breast, and the wounds around the commissure of his beak. It is amazing that he survived!
Craig Nikitas of Bay Raptor Rescue who brought the bird to WildCare Transition says that the bird had either flown through the methane flare during a burn-off, or had been perched on the edge of the chimney when it flared.
The hawk's rescuers found him on the ground, quiet and alert, but not moving. Craig brought him to WildCare.
At WildCare, the intake notes say that all of the hawk's wing and tail feathers are singed, as you can see in this photo.
No burns or wounds were immediately evident on the bird's legs, feet or face, but it is noted that the team would monitor in case such wounds declare themselves in a few days. It is not uncommon for burns to take time to reveal themselves in our wildlife patients.
WildCare Med Staff gave the bird a full exam, hydrated him with subcutaneous fluids, and placed him in "Ward B", one of the wards in the new Wildlife Hospital at WildCare Transition.
It wasn't until three days later that the first burn-related wounds presented on the bird's skin, in the commissure of the bird's beak and, surprisingly, on his tongue. The team placed him on medications for pain, and made the decision to move him to an outdoor enclosure to reduce his stress.
Watch WildCare's Veterinarian, Dr. Juliana Sorem tweezer-feeding the Red-tail in the video below.
One of the things the WildCare team is most excited about at our Transition location is the outdoor caging we designed and had built onsite.
These very specialized enclosures will move with us from Transition to our new building at our original Albert Park Lane site. Using them at WildCare Transition gives us an invaluable opportunity to ascertain what works with these cages, and what needs to be adjusted to provide the best possible care for the over 200 species of wildlife we treat here.
This Red-tailed Hawk is one of the first raptor patients to experience our new raptor enclosures. Although he can't yet fly, the perches in the enclosure will provide this bird with stimulation and a sense of safety while he recovers.
The bird's prognosis is still guarded, as additional wounds may present. He will also have to complete a full molt before he can be released, so he will be in care for at least nine months at WildCare Transition.
New Caging for Wildlife Patients
As mentioned above, these banks of cages for recovering wildlife patients were designed to accommodate the specific needs of a wildlife hospital.
WildCare's team, led by Melanie Piazza, worked closely with the company to create innovations like the large sliding doors that will allow the raptor enclosures to accommodate several birds, or open up to be a large flight aviary.
View photos of these new enclosures below, and click here for a fun video tour and photos of WildCare Transition in action!