Saturday, August 24, 2013

Peanut safely back in the sky

It's great to share the wonderful news posted yesterday on the Franklin Hawkaholic facebook page by Michele Wellard at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic:

"I'm happy to report that today Peanut was released to an excellent undisclosed location. He is flying, soaring, and hunting. He will be supported with food drops to ensure he gets his bearings. It's the perfect spot for a hawk - lots of prey and perching, but not too many human-caused dangers. Thank you all so much for caring so much, and for the donations to the clinic. Fly free and live well, young hawk!"


Michele shared pictures of his release and additional information:

"Moments after he burst out of his carrier box and flew skyward, he landed in that tree."


            Michele Wellard


"We sent him off after a nice meal - squirrel, as it happens." [You can see his full crop here].


            Michele Wellard


"For once in his life, Peanut was quiet during and after release!"


            Michele Wellard


Michele also gave us some information about Peanut's condition when he was brought into the clinic, and how he had progressed through his rehab:

"It's so amazing to look at these photos - remembering my first look at him as a patient - a badly injured hawk who could not even stand up - to this: a soaring, dashing young hawk, ready for his new life, ready to take on the world."

"His body condition was great when he left us - that's one of the things we evaluate before release. He should have nice breast muscle that you can feel - in many ways that's more important than his weight in grams (although obviously he should not be lighter on the way out than he was when he came in!)" 

"He is very small for a Red Tail - 847 grams when he came in, and he wasn't skinny - his body condition was good, with nice breast muscle. He's small, but naturally so - he's within the normal weight range, just at the low end, making him almost certainly a male. He's one of the smallest I've ever dealt with.  Some of the higher end weight females are absolute bruisers!"

Several hawkfans asked why he was not returned to the Ben Franklin Parkway to rejoin the haggards, Mom and T2.

Michele responded "With all three hawks seriously injured or dead on the Parkway, it was a no-brainer to locate him somewhere better, since he would be leaving [migrating] soon anyway. Imagine releasing him on the Parkway and a day later he's hit by a car again! It's too much of a risk. Obviously we're not into relocating all the city's hawks, but a juvenile [hawk] with his family's record, who has just recovered from a serious injury, and who would be leaving anyway - well, his welfare is the ONLY thing we consider when choosing his care and release plan. The choices were made to give him the best shot and a long and healthy life - like we try to do for all of our patients."

A couple of days before Peanut's release Rick Schubert moved him into the 50' flight cage where he was able to fly more freely.  

Carolyn Sutton who volunteers at the clinic described this new environment: "Now, he has the huge cage to fly around in. It's got large perches on each end and he can fly back and forth between them.  Ellen Boyar, another volunteer at SWRC, described him flying "...in big circles, swooping and dipping. He flew beautifully..."

So the saga of this year's three Franklin Institute eyasses ends well for the youngest and tragically for two oldest.  Who knew when we saw this image way back on May 4 of the surprise hatching of the third egg days after the other two, that the little scrap of eyass on the left would be the only one to survive?


                    Katy Mae

Rick Schubert and Michele Wellard at the SWRC did an extraordinary job of nurturing Peanut through his recovery.  Not only did they bring him back to health, but through their careful choices and timing of each stage of his rehab they also made sure he was equipped to fly free, hunt and join the migration south that all juvenile hawks will make in the next few weeks.

The haggards - Mom and T2 - will winter here again in Philadelphia and we will keep track of their activity over the next few months.  Just to whet your appetite for the next blog post, here's where they are now spending quite a bit of time!


                             Carolyn Sutton



                       Carolyn Sutton


               Dinko Mitic


21 comments:

  1. Della, I thank you and the photographers and the people at the SWRC for everything you have cone for these birds and us. It's been an honor to chat with you and read about the hawks antics, trails and tribulations. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Investing online has been a main source of income, that's why knowledge plays a very important role in humanity, you don't need to over work yourself for money.All you need is the right information, and you could build your own wealth from the comfort of your home! Binary trading is dependent on timely signals, assets or controlled strategies which when mastered increases chance of winning up to 90%-100% with trading. It’s possible to earn $10,000 to $20,000 trading weekly-monthly in cryptocurrency(bitcoin) investment, just get in contact with Mr Bernie Doran my broker. I had almost given up on everything about binary trading and never getting my lost funds back, till i met with him, with his help and guidance now i have my lost funds back to my bank account, gained more profit and I can now trade successfully with his profitable strategies and signals! Reach out to him on Gmail ( BERNIEDORANSIGNALS@GMAIL.COM ) , or his WhatsApp : +1(424)285-0682 for inquiries













      Michele responded "With all three hawks seriously injured or dead on the Parkway, it was a no-brainer to locate him somewhere better, since he would be leaving [migrating] soon anyway. Imagine releasing him on the Parkway and a day later he's hit by a car again! It's too much of a risk. Obviously we're not into relocating all the city's hawks, but a juvenile [hawk] with his family's record, who has just recovered from a serious injury, and who would be leaving anyway - well, his welfare is the ONLY thing we consider when choosing his care and release plan. The choices were made to give him the best shot and a long and healthy life - like we try to do for all of our patients."

      Delete
  2. Kudos to everyone who documented and shared these unbelievable events. I'm stunned every year, and hold my breath along with everyone else. The rehab folks are awesome. It's hard work they do, decisions they make, and the glory they must feel when they release their patient! I've been fortunate to watch this saga and wouldn't miss a moment of it. The keen eyes of the photographers who captured these events allowed me an even more intimate view of the bird's daily adventures. Thanks Della and everyone for sharing the wealth.
    Maureen

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely writing Della, and I love the Art Museum photos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just regained internet access after a week in th boonies. I Am So Glad peanut was not released back into the city. Bless all those ar Schuylkill for their loving skill. I hope our little boy lives a long life and fathers many eyasses!
    Ann Feldman

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just wanted to say thanks for this blog. I don't live in Philadelphia, but this has made great reading all spring and summer. Great photos, great reporting, great stories well-told.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Folks:

    As always, thank you kindly for the wonderful postings. I've been around for two full spring/summer seasons and watch daily for news about the "family". I pray everyone has a wonderful Fall and Winter and I'll see you in late February!!

    Bob (xm4665)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just want to say a very belated "Thank you" to you for maintaining this blog, and to all the hawk-watchers for sharing their marvelous photographs with us. See you in the late winter/early spring!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Della,
    Are there any news about Mum and T2. I've been following your blog for the last 3 years and love your stories. Looking forward for the next season. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Folks:

    Well, it won't be too long before we begin to hear about our hawks! I am looking forward to the lengthy and highly detailed reports and award winning photos. Perhaps this year the institute could arrange a Saturday afternoon gathering for us hawk watchers with a guest speaker or two. I would travel from Albany, NY for that.

    Have a nice Christmas and New Year everyone!

    Bob
    (xm4665)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello everyone, Are you into trading or just wish to give it a try, please becareful on the platform you choose to invest on and the manager you choose to manage your account because that’s where failure starts from be wise. After reading so much comment i had to give trading tips a try, I have to come to the conclusion that binary options pays massively but the masses has refused to show us the right way to earn That’s why I have to give trading tips the accolades because they have been so helpful to traders . For a free masterclass strategy kindly contact (paytondyian699@gmail.com) for a free masterclass strategy. He'll give you a free tutors on how you can earn and recover your losses in trading for free..

    ReplyDelete
  11. its been long since i saw a post that's so educative and informational. i will make sure to share this my facebook group. you can also view contents on our websites below.

    French Bulldog Puppies For Sale

    French Bulldog Breeders

     French Bulldog Puppies For Sale Near Me

    French Bulldog Puppies For adoption

    French Bulldog Puppies


    Blue French Bulldog Puppies

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nice Blog !!

    Are you for in a situation where too exhausted to drive back to home like returning home from a party, long work schedule? Safe driver Dubai is ready to help you…

    ReplyDelete
  13. Do you need best IT repair expert for a computer repair dubai? We are the best providing services call us toll-free number 045864033.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice blog !!
    Looking for home Handyman Near Me?? Armored and Strong, the best home maintenance company in Dubai.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I really like following your blog as the articles are so simple to read and follow. Excellent. Please keep up the good Mobile repair dubai

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the excellent post with good technical skill and really helpful for us.
    Data recovery dubai

    ReplyDelete