Thanks to an extremely generous donor, our birds now have two large, aesthetically shaped flight aviaries in which to exercise and develop their flying skills. This is great news for our rehabilitating raptors!
The smaller aviary is 80 feet long and the larger 120 feet long. Both are 20 feet wide and 20 feet high, thus providing lots of flying space to exercise atrophied or injured muscles. These aviaries are equipped with multiple perches as well as obstacles to test the birds’ flying flexibility.
The aviaries will reduce the stress on the birds by eliminating most creance flying, which evaluates a bird’s flying ability by fastening nylon lines to the leather jesses on the bird’s legs. The birds are then tossed into the air repeatedly, and their flying ability is recorded. The aviaries will all but eliminate the need for the creance line and "tossing" the birds repeatedly, which will reduce the stress on the birds. It also gives us a more "natural" picture of the bird's flight readiness.
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JETHRO - SMALL, BUT MIGHTY |
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On August 30, word went out that Jethro, one of Soarin' Hawk's American Kestrels, had died. We have lost a special bird.
Jethro came to us in the fall of 2011 with a wing injury. The skin had been torn off the the tip of his wing due to an unknown trauma. The skin healed, but the long feathers on the end of the wing that are needed for flying never regrew. He was welcomed as an addition to our education birds in the spring of 2012.
For the 8 years he was with us, he delighted his trainers and the public with his size and sweet disposition. He will be greatly missed. Fly high, little Jethro, and thank you.
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A LOVING FAREWELL, AND THANKS |
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On July 29, the world lost a beautiful soul. Kathy Rynberg was a staunch supporter of Soarin' Hawk, and her family donated all memorials to help feed the birds in our care, because "that's what she would have wanted." We send our deepest condolences, and heart-felt thanks, to Kathy's family for their selfless generosity at such a difficult time.
My mother, Kathy Jane Rynberg
12/26/1951- 7/29/2020
There will never be enough words to accurately describe Kathy. Words like "magnetic"; "spirited"; "effervescent"; "gracious"; "welcoming"; "benevolent"; "vibrant"; and "full of life." When asked if there was one word that could possibly encompass everything about her, Roger, her adoring husband of over 50 years, gazed deeply, as if returning to a cherished moment in their life together, and replied, without hesitation, “Unforgettable. Kathy was simply unforgettable."
Kathy was an inescapably candid force that was an uplifting breath of fresh air to every person she met. She loved to spend time in the kitchen, creating and perfecting amazing one-of-a-kind dishes to add to her coveted "notebook of secret recipes" and, more important, drawing her family close around a table. Her serenity was found sitting next to Roger in the glowing warmth of a campfire. She often found splendor in places that many others might overlook, and she loved to collect unique, quirky items and display them with gleaming pride.
She was the classic social butterfly and would not hesitate to seize an opportunity to start a conversation with a perfect stranger - a stranger who would quickly find themselves captive to her extraordinary charm. She enjoyed being a part of her Bunco group and relished every September when it was her turn to host. Adopted as the “American Grandmother” of exchange students Mu (Thailand), Simon (Belgium), and Bjarne (Germany), her loving impact spanned the globe and knew no boundaries.
Above all else, Kathy was a radiant woman of God whose glow cast brilliantly over countless lives, inspiring perpetual happiness. If you asked her, she would tell you that her cup indeed ‘overflowed.' She was a beacon of light that will be forever missed.
As she is reunited in paradise with her sister Deborah and parents George and Virginia Mullally, Kathy’s legacy here endures through her surviving beloved husband of 51 years, Roger Rynberg; her five cherished daughters Michelle (John) Bender, Cindy Rynberg, Lisa Rynberg, Jennifer (Michael) Lanning, and Melissa Rynberg; 15 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
~ Jennifer Rynberg Lanning
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Soarin' Hawk also sends our heart-felt condolences to the family, friends, and associates of Bob Rohrman, owner of Fort Wayne Subaru, who died September 1. |
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A little over a year ago, the Soarin' Hawk rescue line received a call from some employees of Brooks Construction. They had found an injured hawk. Working together, the employees caught the bird and confined it to a box, then waited with the bird while we found a volunteer to rescue it. When we expressed concern about them taking time off the job to help the bird, the caller's reply was, "Our boss won't mind. He's a big nature lover." Well, Brooks Construction has done it again!
John Brooks donated the funds needed to cover the cost of paving the very long driveway and extensive parking area at Soarin' Hawk's newly built raptor center in Huntertown. We are all so very grateful for your generosity, John!
John's passion for nature and wildlife led him to establish the LC Nature Park, where bison and elk roam on 200 acres of grassland, wetland, and dune in Roanoke, Indiana.
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MEET THE NEW EDUCATION BIRDS! |
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MARSHMALLOW - Barred Owl
Marshmallow was hit by a car in Rochester, IN, and was treated by one of our affiliated rehabbers. After continued treatment, she felt its condition was deteriorating, so he was brought to our veterinarian on Monday April 13, 2020 for x-rays and evaluation.
The vet determined that his left eye had deflated, so he had no vision in that eye, and the vision in his right eye was questionable. There was also damage to his beak and cere but, thankfully, there were no broken bones. After we determined that he could find food and eat on his own, he was moved to our rehabilitation facility for observation, where the injury to his cere was monitored.
After about a month in rehab, he was evaluated to see if he would make a good education bird for Soarin' Hawk. At about the same time, he got his toe caught on something and tore the sheath off of one of his talons (similar to a human tearing off a fingernail), so he went back to ICU for treatment. After about 2 weeks in ICU, he went back to his very own cage at our rehab facility, where our volunteers are working to help him adjust to interacting with humans and be a great ambassador of barred owls everywhere.
NEXT MONTH: MEET GEORGIE, THE AMERICAN KESTREL!!
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“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty,
and in the same field, it beholds,
every hour,
a picture which was never seen before,
and which shall never be seen again.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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A SPECIAL NOTE FROM GIGI,
OUR VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
As things have been slowly opening up, Soarin’ Hawk will do the same with our orientations. For the time being, rather than doing one large orientation, we will be having smaller gatherings.
If you have previously sent in a request to become a volunteer, you should have received an email from me to schedule an orientation.
Thank you!
Gigi Stewart
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HAPPY ENDINGS!
Release #1 - Young Barred Owl 05022020
On May 2, 2020, volunteer Lana received a call from a relative, saying she had a friend with a baby owl that had been orphaned. Lana drove to Lagrange, IN, where Linda, the property owner, said she watches the owls and keeps track of them.
This baby Barred Owl had been on the ground for two days and had not moved more than two feet. Linda had not seen an adult owl for at least two days. When volunteer Louie approached the baby he was met with beak snapping, and it appeared aware of its surroundings. Louie and Lana collected the owl and transported it to our I.C.U., where it was examined by Diana and Nancy. No injuries were found, but the eyes appeared cloudy blueish. After the bird was weighed he accepted two mice, cut into small portions.
On 05/06/2020, the little owlet moved to Barb's home, where it had the company of one of our adult barred owls. Then, a month later, he and his adult role model went to our rehabilitation facility, where he got a new friend: another baby Barred Owl! Before releasing him, he had to mature, and we had to be sure he could hunt and fly. On August 26, 2020, he was released back to the wild.
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Release #2 - Great Horned Owl 07132020
On July 13, the rescue line received a call to retrieve a Great Horned Owl in a yard. When volunteers Sue and Bill arrived, the bird had been confined under a box. When they removed the box ever so carefully, the owl escaped and started to run toward a four-lane highway. Everyone ran after him to turn him around, and the bird turned around and ran back under their car. They chased him out and he ran out into a field.
They enlisted the help of John, the caller, to help surround him, and John was able to throw a towel over him so Bill could grab him and get him in a box. As Sue and Bill were leaving, a woman pulled up in a car and asked to get a picture of him because he had taken 6 of her chickens. Even so, they all really wanted him released back in the same area. He was taken to ICU, and a vet visit showed he had a bruised and swollen left elbow. After about a month, his wing was better and he showed us he could fly well, so he was ready for release. On August 30, he went back home.
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CELEBRATING YOUR GENEROSITY
Thanks to August donors . . .
Amazon Smile, Benevity Community Impact Fund, C. Birdseye, J. Brooks, P. Davich, H. Fest, R. Goetz, C. Hilligoss, D. Holmes, C. Johnson, Kroger Community Fund, PP Anonymous Donor, J. & T. Retterer, K. & M. Smith
. . . and thanks to the donors who give each and every month!
L. Dearing, Fort Wayne Subaru, Network for Good
Very special thanks to Shannon at FarmTek for going above and beyond to make it possible for us to get a refund for the materials that we didn't use on our two super-awesome flight aviaries.
Donations in Memory of Kathy Jane Rynberg:
S. Cressman, S. Deter, T. Rynberg, L. Schudel
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Why We Say "Don't Give it Food or Water!"
See the hole in the back of this bird's tongue? That is the bird's Glottis, the opening that leads to the bird's lungs. Because bird anatomy is different than that of mammals, you should NEVER drip water into a wild bird's open mouth. When you drip/pour/squeeze water into a bird's mouth, it goes into this opening and straight to the lungs, which is fatal.
Birds can't cough to get the water out of their lungs, so they don't get enough oxygen with each breath, and end up with a bacterial lung infection.
This mistake is often made by well-meaning people who find birds. The first thing they want to do is feed the bird and give it water. Baby birds get moisture from the food their parents feed them. They don't drink water until they get older. Opening their mouths is an automatic response, like breathing or blinking. It's not an indication that they need food or water.
The same is true for adult birds. If you find an adult bird that needs help, you can offer a pan of water for a few minutes, if the bird can stand or sit upright, and if it needs to it will drink on its own, but you should never drip/pour/insert/force water into a bird's open mouth. Adult birds will also open their mouths when they are scared or feel threatened. An open mouth does not always mean, "I'm hungry!" or "I'm thirsty!"
Always call a licensed facility before taking any action when you find a wild animal in need of help. The best thing to do for them initially is to keep them confined in a small, dark, ventilated space (like a box), covered up and in a warm and quiet place, with no food or water. Don't talk to them or pet them. This causes a lot of internal stress for wild animals. Just keep them warm, dark, covered and quiet until you get proper advice from a federally licensed facility.
-from Skywatch Bird Rescue
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We were able to rescue this beautiful screech owlet, thanks to donations from folks like you. Won't you make a donation now so we can help others like this little owl? No contribution is too small!
Your donation is tax deductible.
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Veterinary services provided by |
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