These photos here were taken a couple weeks before the Making a Scene incident. Before I was able to retrieve the full band #. Before I finally found out what happened to this bird that caused it to need rehabilitation.
These photos were also taken in our driveway while Mr. RTH sat on top of the basketball backboard. No sign of being afraid of us that's for sure!
So do you want to know what I found out? 
After several attempts at contacting the correct person I was finally put in touch with the place that actually banded and rehabbed this RTH. Amy Titcomb from the York Center for Wildlife knows this Hawk well and was very excited to hear he is still alive:
Hi Sharon,
Thanks so much for contacting us about the red-tail!
We admitted this bird April 8 2008, after he was found on the ground at the Sagamore Golf Club in North Hampton. A full exam revealed that he had been shot with bird shot (they are protected and shooting them is against federal law, but there was no way of knowing who shot him). He had wounds to his shoulder, abdomen, leg, and toe. The toe was fractured and some tendons were exposed on the leg. We splinted the toe and treated the wounds for several weeks. By May 2, his wounds were healed and the toe fracture was relatively stable; the toe was fully healed by May 12 and we moved him to an outdoor enclosure. On May 20, we banded him and released him back to North Hampton.
We are all so excited to hear that he's still alive! Could you tell me more about him? How often do you see him? How were you able to read the band number?
Thanks again for contacting us!
Amy Titcomb
Operations Director
The Center for Wildlife
I have since responded to Amy's email but have yet to hear back from her. At least now I know a bit of his history and how he came to be banded. Hopefully he'll continue to live a long and healthy life free from wreckless gun owners.
28 comments:
Wow Sharon! I am curious to know how you were able to read the band numbers.
He is a true beauty! I guess being cared for by humans... you didn't scare him one bit! I hope he is ok!
The nerve of people shooting birds! It makes me sick!
xoxoxoxo
Donna Marie
what a happy ending for mr. hawk and so happy he's survived another year without incident. i cannot fathom someone shooting such a beautiful creature...
What an absolutely beautiful creature! Thanks for the update.
My daughter and I saw one last night landing on one of the green signs on 101 heading east from Wal-mart. (not that we shop there...) It was really neat to see one so close even if we were doing 60 miles per hour.
You must have made friends with him while you were getting the other photo's and he wanted to come visit you! I love birds. They are so amazing to look at!
Again, just beautiful pictures.
Thanks for the update. Now you now why he is not afraid - humans took care of him. What a shame about the bird shot.
Glenda
fantastic photos - nice to know the history of how he overcame the odds
dan
FABulous pictures Sharon & I'm delighted you have been able to learn more about its past. Let's hope you get a few more close encounters. Cheers Frank
Oh, how interesting! Why would someone ever try to shoot this bird?
How exciting to know his story, Sharon! And what a beautiful creature - the feathers are so beautifully colored! Good job!
Wow....you got some crystal clear closeups of him. Isn't he a beauty?
And so neat that you got to learn about his history.
Maybe all that care he got made him less afraid of humans after all.
I'm so glad that he survived and is doing well.
Stunning photos! You take such great photographs of wildlife, and that's a hard thing to do.
Glad to hear the bird survived after that stress.
That is so cool Sharon. How wonderful that you were able to be in touch with those who cared for him and released him back into the wild. And, how sad that his injuries were due to pure meanness.
Beautiful photos. I love red tails. I had some nesting close by a few years back and it is such a gift to watch mother teaching her Young ones to soar through the sky.
the young ones are very friendly and had little fear of humans.We were able to get quite close to them.
How can someone be so senseless and shoot such a beautiful creature?
Rita
I'm glad you found out the story behind your hawk. He's beautiful.
Hey Sharon..So cool that u are part of this fellows life in a way...Keep an eye on him..let us know more!
Awesome pics by the way!
Good for you Sharon, I'm happy that this story has a happy ending. For a more personal comment, it is through the efforts of blogs like ours that appeal to a broader community that awareness of the animals in our environment is heightened. I have had conversations with many of my readers and provide the feedback that they have never paid attention to birds before, or they didn’t appreciate birds before. I would assume that you are creating the same effect. Good job.
Beautiful beautiful pictures. Good you found out the story behind the hawk
Wonderful clear photos and so enjoyed the lesson on RTH. Thank you for sharing, I love your photography and am so pleased that I am able to enjoy it each post. Have a wonderful weekend...Bernie
Great post Sharon!
What a great story. The photo's are awesome. I can't wait for a follow up. Thanks, Sharon
Sharon, what FANTASTIC pictures!!!! I am so glad the bird was rescued and saved. The human race digusts me sometimes when they do such cruel things, but then I see all of the good others do as in this case. Glad to see this one made it.
Wonderful story!!
great story,... and RTHs are one of my favorite birds. I see one over my house here once in a while.
He's absolutely magnificent! Who in their right mind would want to intentionally impose violence on such an extraordinary creature? It makes me heartsick and I couldn't read the full description of what he had endured. I'm so very glad there are people who tend to animals in distress and give them a second chance at living the lives they were created to.
Thank you for sharing these photos. So beautiful.
Wow, Sharon, gorgeous images!!!
Great job Sharon! I hope he sticks around for you to keep an eye on him and I hope he flew far from where he was shot. I'm very impressed that you did your homework to find out his history.
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