Happy Spring!

Back in October, a severely injured male red-tailed hawk was found on a ranch in Delhi. Apparently he had flown into an electrical transformer and was badly burned. The rancher called around for advice and found that the Stanislaus Wildlife Center was willing to try to rehabilitate him.

As the volunteers set about to capture the injured bird, another hawk circled above and cried several times. This other hawk remained on the ranch, appearing regularly and crying for its mate. Hawks mate for life and it is not unusual for them to search for a missing partner until the beginning of the next mating season.

In mid-January, almost 4 months since the initial capture, the rehabilitated hawk was ready for release. The volunteers took it back to the ranch where he was first found. Within minutes of the successful release, the two hawks found each other again and were left sitting together in a nearby tree.

Happy Spring!

From the Spring 2001 issue of the Environmental News.