Oak Harbor Red-Tailed Hawk
March 1, 2024
This magnificent Red-tailed hawk has a fascinating story. In November, a member of the public discovered this injured raptor on the roadside in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. They brought it to a permitted master falconer who is well-known on the island for educating people about these avian predators.
The falconer immediately noticed the hawk was suffering from a fractured wing and was in dire need of rehabilitation. He quickly brought the injured raptor to PAWS Wildlife Center for an exam. A wildlife veterinarian confirmed the patient had an open fracture of the right carpometacarpus, a critical bone in the avian wing that is analogous to our human wrist. The veterinarian surgically repaired the fracture to give the injured hawk a chance at regaining flight. Two months of collaborative rehabilitation followed. This week, the hawk displayed unimpaired flight during its final assessment and was returned to its home on Whidbey Island shortly after.
It is noteworthy that this Red-tailed hawk was already wearing a federal identification band when it was found injured. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Laboratory, which manages the federal database of banding activities, the hawk had been previously captured and banded in 2022 in nearby Anacortes, WA. Many scientists fit leg bands and other observable markers on wild, free-ranging birds to study their movements and life histories. This knowledge then informs conservation efforts and helps to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.