The Things We Do For Animals

Yesterday on my way to work, I did something some people would definitely call stupid, or at the very least, unsafe, but there wasn't a question in my mind as to whether I would do it or not when faced with the situation. I was driving along at a decent clip on I86 between Corning and Big Flats when I noticed a bird flailing around in the left lane of the highway. From far away it looked like a gull, but as I drove by it, I saw it was a hawk. It had obviously been hit by a car and was hopping around trying to go...somewhere else? SO, I pulled over and ran back on the side of the highway to the bird. I wasn't sure what my plan was, but I wanted to at least get it off the road. To my horror, I watched a truck and two cars go right over the bird. I was sure it was a goner, but when I got up to it (when there was a break in traffic,) it started hopping again and I kind of shooed it to the side of the road. Then it laid on it's back, looked at me and put its talons up.

They were big talons. And raptors have big beaks too. Now I have plenty of experience handling raptors, but not without leather gloves on. No leather gloves for me in August. I didn't have a blanket or a towel either, so I unzipped my sweatshirt. (This is significant to me because I had JUST bought the sweatshirt and my son even mentioned THAT morning how much he liked it. I was also excited I remembered to wear one because I have been freezing in my office since the air blows up my body from under my desk.) Anyways, I took off my sweatshirt, and wrapped the hawk in it. I picked him up and started to make my way back to the car. Only a few steps and I see red lights in my peripheral vision. Yes, a state trooper. He pulled over, rolled his passenger window down and I kind of smiled and said something like, "Um I work at Tanglewood and I saw this bird had been hit and I am going to take it to work and call a wildlife rehabilitator." I think he believed me (I had a Tanglewood shirt on, which I only wear about once every few weeks, lucky there.) He did say, "I can't believe you picked that thing up." He also offered to drive me back to my car, but I told him no thanks if he didn't mind, I'd walk. He followed me slowly so I wouldn't get run over. (Or so he'd see if the bird would get out of the sweatshirt and attack me?) Either way, I appreciated his kindness and I didn't get run over. So thanks Trooper Whomever.

I put the bird, all wrapped up, in the back seat in my daughter's booster chair and I hoped to gosh it wouldn't go postal on me before I got to work. He/she stayed pretty calm. I talked to it and told it to stay where it was please and I made it to work. We called the rehabber and she asked if we could take the bird to Cornell's wildlife hospital to save time. So Val, our curator, and I, took a road trip with the hawk (still wrapped in my sweatshirt, but at least in an animal carrier) to Ithaca.

The wonderful vets there took the bird in and will let us know the status of it in the next few days. If it has a fixable injury, it will be taken care of and eventually released. If not fixable enough to release the bird but they can save the bird, they will try and find a home for it- hard to do apparently with Red-tailed Hawks because there are so many non-releasables out there. If they don't find a home they would have to euthanize it. Guess what? I know a home! We already have a Broad-winged Hawk and a Great-horned Owl and we'd need to build new housing for our Highway Hawk, but we could do it. I will keep everyone updated! (And yes, I got my sweatshirt back. Bloody-stained and with feathers and some weird raptor flies on it, but salvagable I think.) Just another day at Tanglewood.