Wildlife rahabbers called into action at youth fair
Published on:
July 27, 2026
The hawk with a member of Whispering Willow Wild Care at the Greene County Youth Fair. Photo: Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation.
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CAIRO―Wildlife rehabilitators at the Greene County Youth Fair thought they were there for education and public outreach. But as it turned out, they were called into action.
On Sunday, the fourth and final day of the fair at Angelo Canna Town Park, Catskill Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation got a call from the Greene County Sheriff’s Office after a deputy picked up an 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, as it just so happened, Whispering Willow Wild Care of Schenectady was 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 [Loverde] 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.
