Earlier this summer, we received three orphaned American Kestrels. A gentleman found them all in the same vicinity. One by one, they appeared on his barn floor but he was unable to locate their nest. Unfortunately, as a result of the long fall, one nestling suffered a broken leg and internal injuries that were too severe to survive.  The remaining two nestlings, however, were healthy and so the adventure of rearing them began.

 

Raising a baby bird is no easy task. They grow quickly and as a result their feeding schedules can run as frequently as four times an hour, all day long.  But in addition to keeping them alive and growing, we had an added challenge. In order to successfully rehabilitate and release these babies, the utmost care had to be taken to ensure they were not acclimated to the presence of humans. That meant that every meal had to be done in silence and without us being seen. Any association between us and their care could teach these birds to be more trusting which meant they would be more vulnerable back in the wild.

 

We were finally able to release one of the kestrels back into the wild.

 

Unfortunately, the other nestling had injured his front middle toe. It ultimately had to be amputated and he could no longer successfully hunt once he was back in the wild. This meant he was not releasable and would need to find a home somewhere in captivity. As such we are in the process of getting permits that will allow us to keep and train him to become a future ambassador at Soarin' Hawk!