NEST NEWS
Our new 1600 square foot operations building looks complete, but there's a lot to do inside. The mechanical systems are 95% done. There are two remaining inspections. Once they're complete, then we can start in on the customization of the kitchen, office, ICU, and freezer areas. Much of the interior customization is being done by Ted, as time allows. Meanwhile, Ross, Mike, Louie and Wayne have started construction of the habitats for our education birds. Once their habitats are finished, the habitats for the rehab birds will be next. The total area of the ed and rehab habitats together is over 3600 square feet.
Construction of the flight exercise aviaries is now scheduled for later, most likely next spring. In the meantime, our fantastic neighbors will allow us to creance rehab birds in their huge side yard.
This month, it's time to harvest the soybeans; then we'll do a final grading and grass seeding around the building.
Next month, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will cold-seed the prairie portion of the land.
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Last month, we asked for your help to get Houdini the surgery that we hope will restore the sight in his left eye, and you came through with flying colors! Thank you! Well, Houdini isn't the only Soarin' Hawk bird that has a life-threatening cataract.
Ruby, our red-tailed hawk, also has a cataract, and needs the same surgery,
BUT
thanks to the
Mihsihkinaahkwa Pow Wow
, held in August, and an anonymous donor, Ruby's surgery is covered! The Pow Wow donated all receipts to Ruby! Thank you all for honoring Ruby's life with your generosity!
Ruby is very special. She's one of Soarin' Hawk's original education birds, and has gifted us with her presence for more than 10 years! She loves being in public, and is one of the sweetest birds you'll ever meet!
Both surgeries will take place at Purdue University. Ruby will have her surgery on October 11; Houdini's surgery will be October 17. We will update as soon as possible. Please keep these two special birds in your thoughts.
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IT TAKES A VILLAGE . . .
All of us at Soarin' Hawk extend a big thank you to the family at
Hixson Sand & Gravel
in Garrett, Indiana, for donating services and materials for Soarin' Hawk's new raptor habitats.
The Hixsons moved to Indiana in 1855 as farmers. In the 1940s, the state of Indiana built State Road 205 beside the Hixsons’ land. The highway needed gravel for construction, and the Hixsons seized the opportunity and started a small gravel quarry on their land in the mid-1950s. That initial quarry turned into a diversified, multi-generational business that's open year-round, six days a week.
All nine of today’s Hixson Sand & Gravel employees are related. They include Raymond and his sons Jim and Bobby Hixson; daughters Robin and Beth Klink; and two grandsons, Logan and Brock Klink.
The variety of goods and the family touch has helped the Hixsons build a positive reputation in this part of Indiana among both commercial contractors and private homeowners.
In addition to sand and gravel, Hixson Sand & Gravel generates a number of additional revenue streams by carrying complementary products. Limestone is trucked in from Fort Wayne (the quarry has buried limestone, but Robin says it isn’t yet worth the expense to mine) and offers drainage culverts, pipes and other related products, along with topsoil and other landscaping goods. The business also offers agricultural drainage products for the thousands of farms it neighbors.
“Just word of mouth I think is the biggest advertisement you could ever ask for,” Robin says. “They say, ‘Hey, do you know where we can go get topsoil?’ Or, ‘Do you know where we can go get tile?’ And they say, ‘I know exactly where you can go; you can head to Hixson’s, and they’ll take care of you.’”
That kind of word of mouth takes generations to build and maintain. It’s what has kept Hixson Sand & Gravel in business for almost 90 years, and it’s what Robin believes will keep the business going well into the future.
“We just keep plugging and chugging every day and do our jobs,” Robin says. “We just keep going and continue the tradition of what our ancestors started, and we want to keep it going for the next generation that’s coming up.”
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"A weed is but a plant whose virtues remain undiscovered."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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A SPECIAL NOTE FROM GIGI,
OUR VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Would you like to be a Soarin’ Hawk volunteer?
Come to our next Volunteer Orientation
and learn all about the different opportunities within Soarin’ Hawk. There's something for everyone! Our next orientation is
Saturday, November 2nd at 1:00 pm
at the
Allen County Public Library - Dupont Branch - 536 E. Dupont Rd., Fort Wayne
.
Volunteer JD Price and Rehab Vulture
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Oct. 3
- Harry Potter Night - Butler Public Library, 340 S. Broadway St, Butler, IN - 4:00p
Oct. 5
- Eckhart Public Library, 1500 S. Cedar St., Auburn, IN - 6:30p
Oct. 11
- Owl-o-Ween - Jean Stratton Porter SHS, 1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City, IN - 5:30p
Oct. 12
- Owl-o-Ween - Jean Stratton Porter SHS, 1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City, IN - 5:30p
Oct. 17
- Harry Potter Night - Butler Public Library, 340 S. Broadway St, Butler, IN - 6:00p
Oct. 19
- STEM Conference 2019 - North Side HS, 475 E. State Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN - 9:00a
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Oct. 24
- All Hallows Eve - Chain O' Lakes State Park, 2355 E CR 75S, Albion, IN - 6:00p
Oct. 26
- Pokagon State Park, 450 Lane 100, Lake James , Angola, IN - 3:00p
Oct. 30
- Harry Potter Night - Noble County Library, 813 E Main St., Albion, IN - 10:00a
Oct. 30
- Harry Potter Night - Noble County Library, 813 E Main St., Albion, IN - 5:00p
Oct. 30
- Night Before Halloween - Metea Park, 8401 Union Chapel Rd., Fort Wayne, IN - 6:00p
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Here's an easy suet recipe to feed the birds in winter -
click here
.
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Is this bird injured?
If you saw the April 2019 issue of our newsletter, you know the answer. Check out past newsletters -
click here
.
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RESCUE OF THE MONTH
by JD Price
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On September 4, Soarin' Hawk's rescue line received a call about a bird on the ground at Fort Wayne's water treatment plant. The caller thought the bird might have been electrocuted. He wasn't sure how long it had been on the ground.
I picked up the bird and discovered it was an adult Red-Tailed Hawk. It appeared this hawk either flew through a fire or got too close to one. Its entire body had some degree of feather damage, especially its tail and wings.
Initial evaluation found the bird was a good weight and had no tissue damage. Initial treatment was medication for possible pain and an antibiotic. It also was given oral dextrose and subcutaneous fluids, then was taken to Dr. Funnell the next day for X-rays and a more comprehensive examination.
WHAT HAPPENED TO SEPTEMBER'S "RESCUE OF THE MONTH?"
Luckily, the great horned owl that was found entangled in fishing line was rescued before he injured himself permanently, so he was only with us a short time. He has been released where he was found!
Please remember to clean up after yourself when you spend time outdoors!
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RESCUE OF THE MONTH, part two
by Bill Oberg
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Once again, I was sitting on my back porch, enjoying the weather and ready to relax when Lynne called. She must know when I get ready to sit and enjoy the end of a day! She indicated that there was what appeared to be a Peregrine Falcon sitting in the caller's back yard, and that it had not moved all day. it was hard to identify from the picture they sent.
The bird was in Topeka, Indiana, about 50 miles northwest of Fort Wayne. When I arrived the bird was sitting on some wood on the side of their shed. Upon approaching him, he began to move around their yard, quite quickly, by the way. He fell in the lake near their house a couple of times. Finally, I retrieved a large sheet and utilized the folks present as a type of wall, then waited until he tried to climb back on the logs on the other side of the shed, and finally I secured him!
He is, as Kat identified him at the ICU, a Peregrine Falcon. Beautiful bird. Again, he's in my prayers to heal successfully and be returned to mother nature.
Ed. Note:
The next day, we received a special communication from the caller through our web site:
“VERY excited to see we actually did correctly identify the Peregrine Falcon. We do believe my husband saw it tussling with an osprey over the lake on Monday evening. Thank you so much for getting someone to our house in such a timely manner. Bill was a pleasure to help. We are spreading the word about your good work. Lisa …”
Well done, Bill!
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SPECIAL RESCUE
by Diana Ward
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On Monday September 30, a driver saw the car in front of him on Hathaway Road in Huntertown hit a Bald Eagle. He called the Allen County Sheriff, who in turned called one of our volunteers. Another volunteer was called to help in the search also. The three of them searched for an hour, but could not find the bird.
The next day, another man was driving down Hathaway Road and noticed what he thought was a bald eagle sitting off the road by the water treatment plant. He stopped to take pictures and realized the bird was injured, so he called Soarin' Hawk.
I was just down the road in our treatment facility when our rescue coordinator called to see if I could pick this guy up. Ellen and I took off and found the bird and the man that called it in. He had graciously stayed to keep an eye out for this beautiful eagle. The bird tried to get away from us but couldn't fly, so the three of us were able to corner it, and Ellen picked it up.
Kim, another volunteer, offered to help us with the bird's initial evaluation and treatment.
Unfortunately, this eagle was pretty quiet. We didn't find any obvious injuries, but it was definitely favoring its left leg while standing. It appeared to have eaten lately, but was showing signs of dehydration. We treated it with medication for pain and subcutaneous fluids for hydration.
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. . . AND ANOTHER ONE!
by Bill Oberg
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As usual, I was on my way to get coffee after working out, and who but my best friend Lynne calls! She indicated there was an Osprey in a box in Berne, Indiana! As always I said sure, what the heck.
I drove to meet the caller at a McDonalds, and we proceeded to drive several more miles to his house. The bird had been kept in a box overnight, with a shovel across the top to prevent it from getting out. Gorgeous bird. I covered it with a large towel and, as I went to reach for it, it flipped the towel off, turned upside down to face me, and put its talons in both of my gloves. I was able to cover it again with the towel and it released the gloves. This is one of the strongest birds that I have rescued!
I put him in my transport box, wings partially sticking out, and started back to Pine Valley Vet Clinic. On the way back, because the box was not closed tightly, due to his wings sticking out, he tried to get out. I stopped, re-positioned his wings, and sealed the box on top with some heavier objects.
As always I pray for his well being and hope he makes it.
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CELEBRATING GENEROSITY
Thanks to September donors!
P. Davich, V. Dockery, Frontstream, Network for Good, Whitley County Farmers Market, S. Wilsey, A. Zepke
Our birds and presentation crew raised $173 in donations at the YLNI Farmers Market on September 28! Thank you all!
Thanks also to the donors who give each and every month!
L. Dearing, Fort Wayne Subaru, S. McInnis
Walmart's VAP (Volunteerism Always Pays) Program
Walmart's Volunteerism Always Pays (VAP) program provides grants to eligible community organizations (like Soarin' Hawk), based on the number of hours volunteered by Walmart associates.
Thanks to Jill D., a Walmart associate manager who also volunteers for Soarin' Hawk, we have received VAP grants (based on her hours volunteering) for over 2 1/2 years. Jill has also arranged events that directly address needs at Soarin' Hawk (e.g., Fish for Jefferson), and as a bonus qualifies for the Event VAP grant.
Thank you Jill and Walmart!
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IT'S HURRICANE SEASON!
Forget the TV meteorologists. This little bird has them all beat when it comes to forecasting hurricanes.
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CONSERVATION CORNER
Be the change...
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THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK!
Many of us continue buying water bottled in plastic, thinking that recycling the bottle means the plastic doesn't affect our environment, but are we fooling ourselves?
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Fall. The time when trees shed their leaves, and many of us participate in the annual Fall ritual of raking. Did you know that, by raking leaves and disposing of annual plants, you are removing an important source of winter food and shelter for birds, insects, and other helpful organisms?
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We were able to rescue this beautiful red-tailed hawk, rehab him, and return him to the wild, thanks to donations from folks like you. Won't you make a donation now so we can help others like this hawk? No contribution is too small!
Your donation is tax deductible.
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