Picture yourself a bird of prey in winter. Food is scarce; you haven’t eaten in days. It’s cold and you’re burning precious energy just to stay warm. You're also young, an inexperienced hunter.
Suffice it to say, winter is the harshest time for raptors. Lillian Gerhardt, a licensed veterinary technician at UT’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, estimates that up to 80 percent of juvenile birds of prey die their first winter. It’s the survival of the fittest played out with life and death consequences.
Recently, Ijams member, Jim Blackstock, found a raptor—a juvenile red-tailed hawk—on one of the trails at the nature center. It was very cold and the downed bird was puffed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, trying to keep warm. Ijams naturalist, Jennifer Moore and I rescued the listless bird. Wrapping it in a towel, we took it to the vet school hospital. A healthy red-tail weighs about three pounds; this one felt much less. But more than that, it offered no resistance, no fight as I picked it up. Its hawkness was gone.
The next day, Lillian reported that it was emaciated, probably had not had a meal in days and was too weak to eat. Hoping to rehydrate the docile Buteo, she gave it fluids, kept it warm and nursed it through the night, but the next morning it died in her arms.
Winter is harsh and unforgiving, especially if you are new to this world.
- Photo taken at Ijams Nature Center
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3 comments:
Stephen, that is sad, specially after your efforts. Still harsh as it seems it is the way of the world. Once the core temperature drops there's not a lot to be done.
Yes Adrian. I sensed it was already lost.
The poor thing went virtually limp in my arms.
Harsh.
Sad... Life's a challenge!
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