THANK YOU!
Once again, we say "thank you!" On GivingTuesday, your generosity helped us raise $4640.30 for the birds in our care. Your support during a time that has been very difficult for so many is truly appreciated.
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“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure
as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
~
Rachel Carson
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Congratulations! It's an owl!
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Photo montage by Gigi Stewart
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Once upon a time, in a forest not-too-far away, there lived a little family of great horned owls. There was mama owl, and papa owl, and two baby owls (called owlets), and they all lived safe and happy high, high up in a tall, tall tree. Mama and papa were good parents. They brought lots of good things for their babies to eat, and the baby owls grew fast and strong.
As the owlets grew bigger, the nest became smaller, and the young owlets had to move around more and more to get comfy. One day, we don't know how it happened, but one little owl fell out of the nest, and dropped down, down, down to the forest floor below. Owlet was smart. She stayed very still, but was found by Dave M., who called Soarin' Hawk and, because her home nest was well hidden and couldn't be found, Dave learned how to make Owlet a new nest in a close-by tree, where mama and papa continued to bring her lots of good things to eat, and she continued to grow fast and strong.
One day, Dave was checking on Owlet, and - oh, my goodness! - there she was on the forest floor again! And very close by, also on the ground, was her brother! Both were still too young to be alone on the forest floor, and Owlet's wing looked droopy, so volunteers Bill & Sue brought both babies to the doctor, where Soarin' Hawk learned the sad news that Owlet had a broken wing that had healed badly, so she would never be able to fly. Her brother was fine, and found a friend and room-mate in another orphaned great horned owlet at Soarin' Hawk's bird hospital. Owlet's brother and his friend will be taken care of by Soarin' Hawk and, once they learn to fly and to catch their own food, they will be released back to the wild.
But what will become of Owlet?
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So much has happened with the peregrine chicks since our last newsletter! On May 19, each of Moxie and Jamie's four chicks received their identification bands from wildlife biologist John Castrale, with the assistance of Brad Bumgardner from the Audubon Society. Banding day was also the day that we learned that Jamie and Moxie hatched three males and one female.
This year, because of COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, the names for the chicks were chosen by I&M employees. Each of the names chosen has a special significance:
Bolt is symbolic of the energy industry; Unity is a symbol of our society coming together during uncertain times; Artemis is the goddess of wild animals; and Carla is in recognition of one of I&M’s respected leaders, who is retiring this summer after more than 30 years with the company. Here's the band information for each chick:
Male, Bolt, 1947-40694, bl/blue S/04
Male, Unity, 1947-40695, S/05
Female, Carla, 1947-40696, S/07
Male, Artemis, 1947-40697, S/12
In other falcon news, the chicks are branching now! This means they've ventured outside the nest box, and are spending more time exploring the roof of the I&M building, where they have more room to exercise their wings in preparation for their first flights.
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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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This screech owlet was found in the middle of the street by Mary R. He was picked up in Sycamore, IN. The callers were very concerned because he was being attacked by starlings, plus there were a number of cars driving in the area. This sweet couple drove the bird over an hour to our treatment facility, where he was examined and determined to be healthy. On 05/22 volunteers Bill and Sue drove this guy back to Sycamore to try to renest him. Unfortunately, there was no obvious Eastern Screech Owl nest to be found. There had been a tree trimming service in the area, the concern was that the owl's nest had been on a trimmed limb and put in the truck. Because there was no way to determine where the nest was, we decided the safest thing to do was to bring him back to our treatment facility, where we will make sure he can find food on his own and eventually move him in with some of our education Eastern Screech Owls until he's old enough to be released.
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WHAT HAPPENED TO PRIOR "RESCUES OF THE MONTH?"
February's
Cooper's Hawk
has been moved back to ICU because she refuses to fly up to a perch, preferring to stay on the ground. If you remember, this bird ran into a brick fireplace and could not stand or use her legs. After weeks of medications and top-notch ICU care, followed by more weeks of physical therapy, she regained the ability to stand and walk. We sent her to a local falconer, because we thought she would benefit from a quieter environment. After a couple of months, she was not flying up to a perch, preferring to stay on the ground. It was discovered that her wings had become stiff, so she came back to our ICU, where she is getting PT for her wings and feet. (Her feet curl up occasionally, usually after she's been held.) We are still hoping for her.
March's
Red-Tailed Hawk
is still in our rehabilitation facility. His vision is being evaluated.
May's
Barred Owl.
After Soarin' Hawk re-nested the remaining owlet, the homeowner reported that they had not seen it again.
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CELEBRATING YOUR GENEROSITY
Thanks to April donors!
E. Lindvall, A. Zepke
Thanks to all who gave on Giving Tuesday!
A. Ables, S. Amstutz, Anonymous, M. Benedict, B. Brewer, A. Butler, A. Candor(1), A. Candor(2), B. Clark, D. Conkle, S. Dempsey, R. Diamond-Guerin, K. Duguid, D. Fair, M. Futter, Z. Gabet, L. Gaff, A. Geiger, T. Gorney, L. Hadley, S. Hansen, J. Hollingsworth, C. Howe, R. Juergensen, R. King, D. MacMillan, S. Mann, J. McCrory, B. Meyer, S. Mickem, B. Mitchell, J. Neuhouser, K. Nunn, B. Oberg, L. Ostergren, G. Quehl, J. & R. Reeg, K. Scheffler, C. Schley, C. Sells, D. Slosson, B. Smith, B.H. Smith, T. Smith, E. Souder, C. Springer, G. Stewart, M. Stucky, A. VerPlanck, M. Voors, D. Waybright, N. Witters, E. Wilson, YB Normal Custom Woodworking, A. Zepke
Thanks to the donors who give each and every month!
L. Dearing, Kroger Community Fund,
Bob Rohrman Subaru of Ft Wayne
, S. McInnis
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Back in 2016, Soarin' Hawk rescued an immature bald eagle with a badly healed broken leg. [
Read her story - click here
] Over the course of her stay with us, feather mites damaged several of the feathers on both of her wings. We waited for the damaged feathers to be replaced through a molt, but then she began injuring herself, so it became extremely important that she be released as soon as possible. The problem was that the condition of her feathers made it impossible for her to fly.
What could we do? We "imped" her feathers.
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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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