Once upon a time, a baby Eurasian Eagle Owl came to live with a group of humans called Soarin' Hawk. The humans named him Chewie, and that was fine with him. Chewie's first months were spent with Gigi, who helped him learn to play and to get used to being cared for by humans. He had mice to eat and rolled up paper and other toys to hunt and capture, and he could fly around Gigi's office and help her work. And all that was fine with Chewie, because he was well cared for. When he got a little older, Chewie went to live in his very own condominium at Soarin' Hawk's state-of-the-art facility, where he met other kind humans. And that was fine with Chewie, because he knew he would always be well cared for, and loved.
Every bird at Soarin' Hawk has a story, and each bird's story is different. But every bird, whether a permanent resident education bird or a bird in rehab toward a hoped-for release, is reliant on Soarin’ Hawk volunteers for its survival.
Money is always tight for a non-profit organization but, this year, COVID has eliminated most of our education programs, our primary source of money for food, medications, and care for the birds. So, on this Giving Tuesday, December 1, we are asking for your donation - for whatever you can comfortably give - to help us continue to help the birds.
We are offering these incentives:
The first 6 people who donate $75 or more will receive one of our limited-edition 2021 calendars (which are sold out), full of beautiful, frame-worthy photos of our educational ambassador birds.
The first person who donates $250 will have their donation matched by an anonymous donor.
The first 3 people who donate $1000 or more will receive the opportunity to get up-close and personal with Soarin' Hawk and our resident education raptors, in our new "Raptor Adventure." Click here for more information.
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BIG NEWS!
The Move To Our New Facility is Complete!
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For months now, we've been operating Soarin' Hawk from two locations: At one location, the education birds and birds in rehab; at the other, our ICU for birds that need critical care. Well, as of November 7, Soarin' Hawk is all "under one roof" at our beautiful, new, state-of-the-art facility in Huntertown, IN!
Big thanks to Ted Geers of YB Normal Woodworking for donating space for ICU these many years, and thanks to Diana Ward, who organized, coordinated, and participated in the move of ICU to the new facility. Also thanks to Barb Brewer, Sue Hansen, Nicole Kelty, Beau Krafft, Kim Nedberg, Bill Oberg, JD Price, Kim Westfall, Nancy Wilder, and Ellen Wilson, each of whom donated their time to help transport supplies and the birds to our new, state-of-the-art ICU.
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MEET THE NEW EDUCATION BIRDS! |
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Jett - Cooper's Hawk
Jett came to Soarin' Hawk from Wabash, after we received a call from a homeowner who reported that the the bird was following him around his yard as he did yardwork. An exam revealed a neurological injury that made the bird unable to survive in the wild. Unlike most Cooper's Hawks, this bird was fairly calm and seemed somewhat comfortable around humans, so the decision was made to work with him with the hope of him being an education bird. Thanks to our great training staff, he is doing very well, and has been quite a hit at presentations.
Cooper's Hawks belong to the "accipiter" family of hawks, which are known for their speed and agility, so the name "Jett" seemed appropriate for him. He loves to tear things apart and land on his keepers' and trainers' heads.
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A SPECIAL NOTE FROM GIGI,
OUR VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Hello everyone!
With the restrictions due to COVID, and the holidays coming up, we will not have any more orientations in 2020. We will start back up again in late January. You can always email me to get info on volunteering with Soarin’ Hawk!
Happy holidays and stay well!
Gigi Stewart, Volunteer Coordinator
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On November 10, Soarin' Hawk had a special visit from members of the Family Campers and RVers Association, a national organization that promotes family camping and RVing. Fort Wayne residents Vickie and Larry Roop are local representatives of the organization and supporters of Soarin' Hawk. The Roops presented us with a check for $1200 from Family Campers and RVers, and made an additional donation themselves. They got a VIP tour of our facility and a special photo op with Jefferson.
On behalf of the birds, all of us at Soarin' Hawk say a big "thank you" to Family Campers and RVers and the Roops.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ONE OF OUR OWN
We are happy to announce that Lana Lee, who rehabilitates song- and waterbirds in conjunction with Soarin' Hawk, will have her nature photography exhibited in the new 3 Rivers Federal Credit Union opening soon in Angola! Congrats, Lana!
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RESCUE OF THE MONTH - 11182020 SEOW - Short-Eared Owl |
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This little short-eared owl was found by Erin D. in a field when she was out for a run on November 17. Her first call was to the sheriff, who referred her to DNR, and DNR gave her our number. Because Erin's call came in after dark, we lined up volunteer Bill Oberg to pick up the bird first thing the next morning. Bill brought the bird to ICU, where he was found to have a compound wing fracture.
Please, please remember: If you find an injured bird or animal, you give them the best chance at survival by contacting a DNR-permitted rehabber as soon as possible. By law, you may keep the injured one for only 24 hours. While you search for a rehab, do not hold or pet the animal, and do not feed or give it water. Just put it in a box in quiet place, away from activity and noise. If you have difficulty finding a licensed rehab for a non-raptor, call the Soarin' Hawk rescue line (260-241-0134) and we will help you try to find someone.
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WHAT HAPPENED TO LAST MONTH'S FEATURED RESCUE? |
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10062020 Peregrine Falcon (tundra) - Our little visitor from the North is still with us while his wing continues to heal.
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CELEBRATING YOUR GENEROSITY
A Special Donation!
Our education birds have beautiful, brand-new perches, hand-made by Dr. John Trok. Thank you, Dr. Trok!
Thanks to November donors . . .
J. Anderson, S. Bowman, Family Campers & RV’ers Association, E. Goetz, A. Harvey, A. Heger, C. Krizan, C. Meek, L. Pomeroy, A. Rifkin, V. Roop, Sycamore Hills Homeschoolers
Thanks to donations to the Soarin' Hawk endowment from
Anonymous, D. Bell, S. Bell, J. Blossom, J. Farlow, L. Green, R. Greer, A. Heger, J. Judge, C. Meek, J. Shafranov, D. Sims Gonzalez, P. Whitacre
. . . and thanks to the donors who give each and every month!
Amazon Smile, Bob Rohrman Subaru, Kroger Community Rewards, S. McInnis, Network for Good, L. Ostergren
Thanks also to Nicole Kelty, Louie Lee, and Lynne Ostergren, who planted all 25 of the young eastern white pine trees donated by Shirley Needham.
Big thanks to Melissa, Mike & Nila, whose fishing prowess resulted in 40# of fish (and many fish dinners) for Jefferson, Ehr, and Ehr's friend.
If you have fish you'd like to donate, please call our rescue line (260-241-0134) to arrange for pickup or delivery.
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Cooper's or Sharpie? For those of us who are already bird-ID challenged, this age-old question can be maddening. Here's some information that might help.
Photo by Pamela Kopenapa
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10042020 BDOW - On October 4, 2020, Paul S. saw an owl standing along the side of the road in Huntington, completely soaked by rain. Paul picked up the owl and got it out of the rain, then called the sheriff, who gave him the Soarin' Hawk rescue line phone number. Paul wanted the bird to get fast treatment, so he graciously offered to drive it from Huntington to our treatment facility in Huntertown. -
An examination revealed that the owl was young, and had sustained head trauma. It had blood it its right eye and some possible nerve damage to its right leg. Our ICU staff began treatment immediately, first by giving fluids and pain medications to help stabilize it, then treating its eye injuries. (Sometimes head trauma and the accompanying swelling can cause partial or full blindness. When this is the case, sometimes vision can return after the swelling goes down. Such was the case with this guy.)
On October 24, he was moved to our rehabilitation facility, where he regained flight strength and showed us he could catch live prey. Finally, he was strong enough to go home, so on November 16, Sue Hansen and Bill Oberg released him near where he was found.
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07082020 RTHA (red-tailed hawk) was found July 7 at a storage facility, unable to fly. She spent a few months with us, healing her wing, and was released Thursday morning 11/19/20 at a private fenced and wooded area south of Ferguson Road in Decatur. According to Bob Walton, "She was more than willing to leave, and bounded out of the carrier and landed on the ground about 30 feet away. After evaluating her new location, she flew about 50 yards and up about 30 feet to a tree on the edge of the woods. There she roused and started preening in the warm morning sunshine. After a bit, she hopped branch to branch in the mostly oak woods."
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11172020 AMKE (American Kestrel) - This little kestrel was found trapped on someone's porch. Volunteer Lana Lee picked up the bird and Louie Lee brought it to ICU, where it was found to have no injuries. After a couple of days of rest and observation, he was ready to go home. Louie released him in Fremont, IN on November 21.
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Veterinary services provided by |
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