Injured hawk released in Cairo after making full recovery

CAIRO―An injured hawk that was brought to rehabbers during the Greene County Youth Fair is now back in the wild.

Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation reported that the juvenile red-tailed hawk made a suburb recovery and was released Saturday at Angelo Canna Town Park in Cairo.

Tonya Frickey, founder and president of Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation, was joined for the release by Dave Loverde of Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center and members of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

“Thank you to everyone who helped give this beautiful hawk a second chance,” she said.

Back on Sunday, July 26, wildlife rehabilitators at the fair thought they were there for education and public outreach. But as it turned out, they were called into action.

It was the final day of the fair at Angelo Canna Town Park when Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation got a call from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office after a deputy picked up the injured red-tailed hawk from a nearby roadway.

According to the sheriff’s office, Deputy Barry Hill was able to get the bird out of harm’s way and into his patrol car

“He then covered the bird’s head to induce calmness during transport,” the sheriff’s office reported.

Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation took the hawk and, it just so happened, Whispering Willow Wild Care of Schenectady was also at the fair presenting The Amazing World of Raptors. And they had an expert raptor rehabilitator on site who was able to perform an intake examination on the hawk.

“It was determined that the juvenile male hawk was likely hit by a car and was stunned,” explained Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation. “So, we transferred him to Dave from Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center for further evaluation and a little TLC.”

Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation called it “a seamless collaboration among many agencies.” According to the Round Top-based non-profit, thousands of wild animals across the Catskills are injured or orphaned due to vehicle strikes, encounters with other animals or pets, habitat loss or severe weather, and human-related challenges.

The Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center in Hunter rescues and releases an estimated 1,000 animals each year―everything from bear cubs to bald eagles.

Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk in North America, found in open fields, deserts, parks, woodlands and forests. They hunt during the day and can often be spotted on utility poles and tree branches. They can reach a length of 18 to 26 inches, with a wingspan of 3.6 to 4.8 feet and a weight of 1.5 to 3.5 pounds.