MAY 2024


"In order to see birds,

it is necessary to become part of the silence."

-Robert Lynd

IT'S GETTING EXCITING!!!

If you haven't been keeping up with Mary's commentary on Fort Wayne's young falcons, Moxie & Jamie's youngsters are growing like crazy, and will be banded soon. Banding day is always exciting, and you can watch the event live on AEP's Falcon Cam! You don't want to miss it!

Bookmark AEP's Falcon Cam, and Soarin' Hawk's Facebook page for expert commentary by Mary Koher on Moxie and Jamie's nest, PLUS the nests of two of their offspring, Karla and Flash, and their respective mates, as the nesting season continues!!


Watch the Falcon Cam here

THIS IS WHY

Young birds end up in some pretty strange places when they're learning to fly. This little barred owl ended up perching on a chair on the finder's porch. They called us, and Pam and Wayne Whitacre brought the baby to Soarin' Hawk to be checked for injuries.

A very concerned parent owl, watching the proceedings.

The best possible outcome: The baby owl had no injuries, and Wayne renested him the next day. The parents were nearby, and resumed caring for him.

EAGLES 101

ALL EAGLES HAVE THAT PERMANENT SCOWL LOOK, BUT EAGLE PHYSIOLOGY DIFFERS BETWEEN SPECIES


A frequent comment [many raptor rescues hear] is, "eagles always look so angry". It's true! Eagles, and many raptors, always appear to be scowling and it has to do with the structure of their skulls. They have a very prominent orbital ridge that appears as though they have furrowed their brow. However, this feature serves some very important purposes, and the structure is different among different eagle species. Let's explore!


First and foremost, the most important sense that eagles have is their vision. They are visual creatures and that means their eyes are critical to survival. Without that super eagle vision, hunting would be much harder for them. As such, they have extra protection for their eyes in the form of the "supraorbital ridge", a bony protrusion that sticks out over the eye socket. 


There is also a second important function that the supraorbital ridge plays - it is a visor to shield their eyes from the sun that works with the same principle as the brim of a baseball cap. This helps reduce glare from the sun, again for hunting purposes. But as you can see from the image, the structure is noticeably different even between Bald and Golden Eagles. Why is this?


. . . Bald and Golden Eagles generally have different habitats and different primary prey items. While Bald Eagles are water birds and fish eaters, Golden Eagles are upland, terrestrial hunters that often look out to the horizon for potential prey. Bald Eagles tend to perch in trees right over the water sources holding the fish, so they aren't generally looking as high in the sky (smaller brim). But Goldens, scanning the horizon, need more shielding from the sun and thus have a much larger supraorbital ridge which you can clearly see with these replica skulls. 


Article credit to the National Eagle Center

JOIN US!

by Gigi Stewart

Baby season is upon us!


It seems like only yesterday we had 23 baby kestrels at the same time in our ICU! Some of us have fond memories of having to wear a hot Ghillie Suit to hand feed them and the challenge of catching and weighing each one as they all flew around one of our outdoor rehab enclosures. Luckily, most of them learned to self-feed pretty quickly, but the weighing became progressively more difficult as they learned how to fly better and avoid us.


You can share in the wonder of raptor babies (and adults) if you become a Soarin' Hawk volunteer! There are many rewarding jobs to choose from, and lots of really great people to work with. Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Gigi Stewart, at gigi.stewart@soarinhawk.org




MARK YOUR CALENDARS: JUNE 4

Thanks to the Little Turtle Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers, the Chipotle on Lima Rd. is doing a fundraiser for Soarin' Hawk on June 4. Between the hours of 4:00 - 8:00 PM, 25% of sales will be donated to Soarin' Hawk.


Thank you, AAZK!


Important: The "fine print" says that for them to count toward the fundraiser, online orders must be placed for pickup only from the Lima Rd. location, between 4:00-8:00 PM on June 4. Delivery orders and gift cards don't qualify.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES' NEST


Have you been following the SW Florida Eagles' nest?


Update: E23 spends very little time at the nest these days. He is very busy honing his flying and fishing skills, and being pestered by a persistent shrike. Soon he will strike out to establish a territory of his own.


Follow the nest here:


SWFeaglecam

Photo courtesy of

Pritchett Real Estate

Help us help the birds! Click Here to Donate!
Meet the Birds! Attend a Presentation! Click here for Schedule

CELEBRATING GENEROSITY


Merrill & Carol Cocklin, Janet McCrory, Anthony & Kathy Terrulli, Cathy Voors (in honor of C. Jones), Ann Zepke




Thanks to their Community Rewards Program, Soarin' Hawk receives quarterly donations from Kroger. We thank Kroger for their generosity, and thank you all for signing up to have a percentage of your total grocery bill donated to Soarin' Hawk (at no cost to you!). Want to know how to make Soarin' Hawk your designated charity at Kroger?

Click Here.


P.S. Many employers will match funds donated to non-profits by employees. Ask your employer to see if they do! Make your donation to Soarin' Hawk go even farther! We also receive donations through Network for Good.


Many, many thanks for all your donations!


BIG NEWS!


Our donation forms now accept ACH bank transfer (also known as eCheck) payments! You now can make donations through bank transfer, instead of using your credit card or PayPal account. The advantage of this is that 100% of your donation comes to us, rather than a percentage going toward credit card processing fees.


Once you've entered your personal information and are ready to donate, a screen will pop up allowing you to choose your bank. Then you'll be prompted to log into your online banking account and choose the account (checking, savings, etc.) you wish to pay from. Easy peasy!!


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RESERVE A RAPTOR ADVENTURE!

Click Here for More Info or scan the QR code below

Click here for back issues of the Soarin' Hawk newsletter


Thanks to people like you, we were able to rescue, rehabilitate, and release this beautiful Great Horned Owl, who came to us starving and emaciated. After a few weeks in our facility, he was released, to continue life in the wild. Won't you make a donation, so we can help others like him? No contribution is too small!


Your donation is tax deductible.

Click here to help!

SOARIN' HAWK RAPTOR REHAB

260-241-0134

info@soarinhawk.org

www.soarinhawk.org

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