Our own Bob Walton "depositing" the generous donation from AEP
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April 13 - Ambrosia Orchard Open House, 14025 US 27, Hoagland, IN - 5:00pm
April 22 - University of St. Francis Eco Club, 2701 Spring St, Fort Wayne, IN - 12:00pm
April 25 - Indiana Master Naturalist, Gene Stratton-Porter SHS, 1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City, IN - 2:00pm
April 28 - Little River Wetlands Project, Eagle Marsh, 6801 Engle Rd, Fort Wayne, IN - 2:00pm
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"Now I see the secret of making the best person:
it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth."
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Walt Whitman
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THE FONDEST FAREWELL-
by Gigi Stewart
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When I first saw Iris at Soarin’ Hawk’s ICU, I didn’t think she would survive. She was hit by a car, had massive wounds to her head and body. The vision in one of her eyes was compromised, but she was strong and determined. With the care of our ICU volunteers and Dr. Funnel and Kat Ternet, she made it through. Iris transformed from a heartbreaking pile of feathers into a beautiful Great Horned Owl. Iris has the perfect temperament to become an educational bird, so once she recuperated, training began.
Those of us who had the pleasure and privilege to train with Iris fell in love with her. She turned into a magnificent ambassador for her species. On Wednesday, March 20th, Iris left Soarin’ Hawk to go to her new home at Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium i
n Fort Myers, Florida
. It is extremely bittersweet for us at Soarin’ Hawk, but she will have a beautiful new mew in Florida, with new people who will love her just as much as we did here at Soarin’ Hawk.
Good luck Iris, and have a long and happy life, sweet bird. We will always love you at Soarin’ Hawk!
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Prepare birdhouses by cleaning out old bird, mouse and squirrel nests
--- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in bottom of bird houses to kill bugs
--- Get hummingbird and oriole feeders and nectar ready
--- Set one hummingbird feeder out by April 15 for early transients
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This red-tailed hawk was found in Angola, IN on October 29, 2018, victim of a probable car strike. He had some vision problems and a fractured pelvis, and was treated in our ICU with pain medication and an antibiotic. Pelvic fractures cannot be wrapped or casted, and usually resolve on their own. Amazingly, this guy was perching in only 2 days. His vision issue resolved on its own and, after only four weeks, he was moved to our rehabilitation facility to continue his recovery and regain flight strength.
Finally, after spending four months in Soarin' Hawk's care, on Saturday, February 23, 2019, this beautiful adult red-tailed hawk was released back to his home territory. The family that helped save his life were present to watch him head back home.
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(Video is beneath the "How You Can Help" box)
Moments like these are what we all live for! It is profoundly humbling to watch a bird fly away, healthy, to continue its life in the wild. If you are able, please
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NOT A RAPTOR, BUT A COOL BIRD
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New research adds the Atlantic Puffin to a growing list of birds with features that react to ultraviolet light. Why is this important?
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CELEBRATING GENEROSITY
Thanks to March donors!
AEP, Amazon Smile, Anonymous, A. Berner, D. Brandenberger, J. Brelje, Fox Contractors (D. Day, D. Ewers, K. Hinton, heavy equipment, heavy equipment operators, surveyors), Home Lumber, K. LaMar, Network for Good, N. Numby, D. Rapp, B. Stillwell, Subaru of Fort Wayne, Wells County Foundation
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A HAPPY ENDING OF A DIFFERENT KIND
This beautiful Great Horned Owl was found on the Indiana toll road, victim of a probable car strike. She had the tell-tale "head tilt" indicative of head trauma, as well as trauma to both eyes and probable spine trauma. She was examined by our veterinarian and taken to our intensive care facility, where she was given antibiotics, pain medication, fluids, and treated for parasites. She slowly gained strength and started eating on her own, but her vision was permanently impaired.
On April 20th, 2018, she was moved to a pen in our rehabilitation facility to determine whether she had enough vision to find food on her own, and she did! So the process began to find an approved facility to give her a permanent home. In the meantime, she was sent to a falconer to begin training to sit on a gloved hand. The first facility fell through, but we kept looking, and s
he is now living at Wild Hearts Zoological Society in Lewisburg, Ohio!
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CONSERVATION CORNER
Be the change...
They look so beautiful, almost alive, wafting skyward, dancing on currents of air. Symbolizing the soul of a loved one, celebrating a major milestone in one's life, or sending out a hope for the future, balloon releases have become commonplace. But what happens to those beautiful balloons after they float out of sight?
You might be surprised to learn where they end up.
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Beau & Ruby
Moose Lake
Oct. 2018
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Beau Krafft
I began volunteering at Soarin' Hawk Raptor Rehabilitation on June 30, 2015. My husband found the "things to do this weekend" section of the local newspaper and thought that I might be interested in doing some volunteer work with birds of prey. "Go to Franke Park pavilion 1 and check it out," he said. And so I did.
There was a presentation about to start. Bird handlers walked out, first with the smaller birds: Screech Owls and American Kestrels; next, the larger birds: Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls and a Red-tailed Hawk; then, the final bird, a Bald Eagle. Oh my! I was right there, up close to all the birds and their handlers, every person a volunteer. The volunteer booth was conveniently close by. I signed up to be a Soarin' Hawk volunteer right there, and the rest is history.
Soon I learned that all of Soarin' Hawk education birds, each of which has
gone through a rehabilitation program of some kind,
would never be released back to the wild. Upon knowing this, I felt a bond with them right away.
Today I'm involved in the ICU program, Avian Care (feeding and cleaning), Presentations, and Creance Flying. I love being part of Soarin' Hawk and helping care for these birds of prey. Finally, the birds help me too, to be patient and stay calm, to have more confidence in myself and to not be so fearful of wildlife.
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RESCUE STORY, CONTINUED
Red-tailed Hawk #12302018 (a/k/a Right Orange, his leg band color)
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This beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk continues to make great progress! He has begun creance flying, and is a strong flyer. He just needs to gain a bit more strength, then will be ready for release! (In creance flying, a bird is tethered to one of our trainers, and given progressively more line as he gets stronger and can fly farther. Tethering keeps birds safe, and allows them to gain flight strength, while assuring that they can be retrieved as they train.)
Check back next month to see if he's been released!
Read a detailed description of the rescue
here.
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EDUCATION CORNER
MEET OUR EDUCATION BIRDS - Indy
Indy is a male Barred Owl, who came to Soarin' Hawk in 2016, after being found in the median of Interstate 69 in DeKalb County by an Indiana Department of Transportation crew. Upon examination, his left eye was found to have lesions that indicated he may have been blind in that eye for awhile. His right eye did have some response to light, so we hoped he would regain vision in that eye. After two weeks in ICU, he was transferred to our outdoor rehab facility to see if he could find his food. He couldn't, so he was transferred into a smaller cage, where he seemed to find his food by feeling with his feet. Finally, after over two months with Soarin' Hawk, he was able to follow a hand in front of him, and was able to find his food. He became a Soarin' Hawk education bird shortly after.
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PLEASE HELP US HELP THE BIRDS!
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We were able to help this beautiful little Eastern Screech Owl that was hit by a car, thanks to donations from people like you. Won't you make a donation now to help us help these magnificent birds? No contribution is too small!
Your donation is tax deductible.
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