On the night of August 9-10, Apollo, one of Soarin' Hawk's Great Horned Owl ambassadors, died suddenly. As you might imagine, we all were shocked and devastated at such a great loss. Below, several of Apollo's humans reminisce about their time with him. Apollo had a personality as big as the sky, and we will love and miss him always.
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It is very hard to put into words what this magnificent Great Horned Owl meant to me. He was the face of Soarin’ Hawk for many years, because he was our only Great Horned Owl until Zeus joined us in 2014. They quickly became very close, and you would always find them perched right next to each other, with Apollo seemingly being the protector of Zeus.
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Apollo’s tenure with Soarin’ Hawk Raptor Rehab began in 2010 when he was brought in with a previous wing injury that had healed incorrectly. He was left unable to fly and would not have survived in the wild.
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I had the gift of working as one of Apollo’s handlers for nearly three years. He had attitude, a huge presence, and personality. It is an indescribable experience developing a bond with a fierce predator; having Apollo or any raptor trust you is a gift like no other. I love all of our birds at SH but there are a few who have always had a big part of my heart, and Apollo was one of them. We had a special bond. My favorite times with him were when I took him outside for a walk. He would see things in the sky and stare at them. Then, I would look too, and eventually see what was in his sight. He didn’t miss anything! I felt as if he was teaching me to be more observant, to look for things that might not be seen at a first glance.
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"What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose
.
All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”
-
Helen Keller
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WHAT'S NEW AT THE NEST?
In August, work at our new nest site continued. Inside, the plumbing, electrical, and heating/cooling systems were the focus. Outside, the focus was setting and grading the gravel pads for the aviaries, education bird habitats, temporary quarters for recovering raptors, and exercise aviary.
In September, we hope to pave the parking lot and driveway with recycled asphalt and start building the aviaries.
Slowly but surely, our dreams are coming true!
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IT TAKES A VILLAGE ... THANK YOU!
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Once again, we thank you for your generosity! Thanks to you, we reached our fundraising goal, so Houdini can have the cataract surgery that we hope will save his life! The schedule hasn't been finalized yet, but we expect the surgery to take place at Purdue University, probably in September or October. We'll keep you posted!
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A SPECIAL NOTE FROM GIGI,
OUR VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Would you like to be a Soarin’ Hawk volunteer?
Come to our next Volunteer Orientation
and learn all about the different opportunities within Soarin’ Hawk. There's something for everyone! Our next orientation is
Saturday, September 7th at 1 pm
at the
Allen County Public Library - Dupont Branch - 536 E. Dupont Rd., Fort Wayne
.
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Volunteer JD Price and Rehab Vulture
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SOARIN' HAWK ON THE ROAD: ROSEMARIE AND RUBY
by Jan McGowan
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Ruby is a Red-tailed Hawk. Rosemarie is a human. Ruby and Rosemarie established a special connection during Soarin' Hawk’s visit to the Steuben County Council on Aging Grandparents' Picnic.
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Sept. 6
- Eckart Public Library, 1500 S. Cedar St., Auburn, IN - 6:30p
Sept. 7
- Stone's Trace Pioneer Festival, 5111 Lincolnway S US 33, Ligonier, IN - 2:00p
Sept. 14
- Whitley Co. Farmer's Market, Courthouse, 101 E. Van Buren St., Columbia City, IN - 10:00a
Sept. 14
- Central Lutheran Fall Festival, 900 Green St., New Haven, IN - 4:00p
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Sept. 21
- Lindenwood Nature Center, 600 Lindenwood Ave., Fort Wayne, IN - 1:00p
Sept. 22
- Fulton Co. Historical Society, 37E 375N, Rochester, IN - 12:00p
Sept. 24
- South Whitley Library, 201 E Front St., S. Whitley, IN - 6:00p
Sept. 29
- Friends of the Rivers, Promenade Park, Fort Wayne, IN - 1:00p
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RESCUE OF THE MONTH
by Susan Hansen & Bill Oberg
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On the road again, this time southeast of Wabash. Soarin' Hawk got a call from Valerie D. about a turkey vulture that had been down for awhile near her pond. When we arrived, she told us the bird had been down for a couple of weeks. They had been feeding it salmon, brisket and hamburger. It was becoming bold, and starting to approach their house.
We found this guy in some brush near the pond. With some coaxing, we got him in the box. When we arrived at Pine Valley, he got powdered for lice. (Those of you who know turkey vultures will not be surprised that he left us evidence of his recent meals. UGH!!!!) X-rays showed no breaks, although there was right shoulder sensitivity. We shuttled him over to ICU.
At ICU, keel check showed a score of 1 out of a possible 5. Since he had been eating on his own, it was decided that pain meds, food & water were all that was needed for now.
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CELEBRATING GENEROSITY
Thanks to August donors!
B. Brewer, L. Burrell, A. Candor, K. Carroll, L. Coblentz, E. Donnelly III, Fort Wayne Tin Caps, A. Geiger, R. Gepfert, D. Hall, S. Hansen, A. Heger, C. Hoehn, M. Johnson, R. Kaminski, Z. Kindler, J. Lawhorn, C. Leeper, L. Mabis, E. McClelland, S. Metz,
Mihsihkinaahkwa Pow Wow,
J. Mika, C. O'Brien, L. Ostergren, H. & R. Owen, T. Owen, J. Perkins, S. Popowniak, B. Reel, A. Sexton, A. Sieber, C. Spires, S. Stokes, M. Summers, J. Tieman, J. Urban, H. Wallace, V. Williamson, E. Wilson, R. Wolfe, C. Worden, N. Yeoman
Thanks also to the donors who give each and every month!
L. Dearing, Fort Wayne Subaru, S. McInnis
In Memoriam:
The
Yeoman & Kendall family has adopted Zeus in memory of Apollo.
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ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING!
by Bill Oberg & Susan Hansen
On August 7, we g
ot a call around 9:15 am. There was an owl down near the airport. When we arrived we found a baby great horned owl confined in a cardboard box. There was some blood on its beak, and a bit on one talon. The caller, Don, explained that they had been working on a large metal storage building for over a year, and frequently found birds that had gotten in during the night. This morning, though, they found 2 owls, one twice the size of the other. The larger one had escaped through an open window. The smaller one tried to follow several times, but only managed to hit the wall. When it finally went down they got it outside and into a box. When we arrived at ICU, it was confirmed to be a baby. It was a very feisty bird, and well-fed. On first examination, it appeared to be in good shape. Luckily, after only a few days under observation in our ICU, and a few test flights, the little one was ready to return to the wild, and we had the honor of releasing him where he was found.
But the video doesn’t finish the story.
After a successful release, the video shows the baby flying off into the distance. What happened next wasn’t captured on video. (
darn
!) The baby made a graceful landing on a building nearby. We got in the car, deciding to follow as far as we could. He took off again, headed for a stand of trees. As he approached the trees, another bird of similar markings came out and flew by his side. It showed no aggression. I think we reunited parent & child! AWESOME!
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. . . AND ANOTHER
On August 15, Soarin' Hawk volunteer Ross E. went to pick up a
juvenile red-tailed hawk in northeast Fort Wayne. The caller who found the bird had put it on its back, barely conscious, in the back of his SUV. When Ross arrived, as often happens, the bird had regained some energy, and Ross decided the best course would be to cover it with a light sheet or towel and hope it didn't attack his head/face in the process. Luckily, the bird had calmed down from its initial excitement (see photo) and was transported to Pine Valley Vet Clinic without further incident, where Dr. Funnell's initial examination revealed no serious injuries.
After a week under observation in our ICU, he had responded well enough to treatment that he was moved to our rehabilitation facility, where he showed us he could fly and hunt well.
So . . .
On 08/25/2019, this guy was released near where he was found. The folks who made the initial report, Mike & Sharon W. were present for the release. It looked like he was having second thoughts about leaving "Hotel Soarin' Hawk," because he really took his time deciding to go, like 4+ minutes - even taking a moment to eye a Pomeranian that was nearby. After takeoff, he made a not-so-graceful landing in some distant trees. Good luck young one!
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MORE SCREECHES HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING
by JD Price
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On August 16, two Screech Owls, affectionately called Spaghetti and Meatball, were picked up by zookeeper Stacy and transferred to their new home at the Toledo Zoo. They will be together in their own mews and become a part of the educational program at the Zoo. We wish them well.
We have also been able to place a Red Tail at Wild World of Animals, a facility in Pennsylvania, where she will travel on one of the many programs they have each year. In addition, another Red Tail and a Cooper’s Hawk are now display raptors at the Calusa Nature Center in Florida.
As always, a gigantic thank you to everyone, from the concerned citizen who made the rescue call, to the volunteers who rescued, to all the volunteers who care for the many raptors that come to Soarin’ Hawk.
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CONSERVATION CORNER
Be the change...
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T.P. - GOTTA HAVE IT -
OR DO WE?
In America alone, 34,000,000 rolls of toilet paper go "down the tubes" each and every day, and more virgin forests are being cut down to meet consumer demand. Do you know how many trees we humans kill per day to keep toilet paper in our bathrooms?
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This beautiful Great Horned Owl was rescued at a campground on the Pigeon River in Howe, IN. Selya, Jol, Diana, Mike, and Crystal, a group of kind, caring campers, found him hanging by his wing from a tree, tangled in discarded fishing line. Two of those amazing campers, Crystal and Mike, drove over an hour through a severe thunderstorm to bring the owl to our treatment facility at 8 PM on a Sunday night.
Dr. Funnell's examination of the owl revealed a corneal ulcer in his right eye. He was treated with subcutaneous fluids for dehydration, dusted for flat flies, and given pain and eye medication. Although there seemed to be no other injuries, he seemed lethargic, so he's not "out of the woods" yet.
This rescue, in addition to illustrating the good in people, also shows how important it is to properly dispose of fishing line and other hunting and fishing equipment. You may think that "one little fishing line won't make a difference," but it was just "one little fishing line" that snagged this beautiful bird, and would certainly have caused his death if the special group of campers that found him had not come along.
Please! Be responsible! Leave Mother Nature as you found her. Clean up your own mess.
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THE BIRDS HAVE BEEN BUSY!
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On Friday, August 9, Soarin' Hawk and owls visited the Tin Caps for Harry Potter Night. It was a beautiful night for families, owls, and baseball! The kids were amazed by the birds, and the Tin Caps raised
$3,708 for Soarin' Hawk by auctioning the special Harry Potter jerseys worn by TinCaps players that night
. Thank you, Tin Caps!
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Then, on Saturday, August 10, Wayne, Mike, and the Hawkmobile participated in the parade that opened Huntertown Heritage Days in the morning. It was nice to see so many familiar faces waving to us in the crowd! In the afternoon, Jefferson, our bald eagle, spread his wings for a Soarin' Hawk presentation at Huntertown Family Park. We're making arrangements with the Park to give regular presentations there in the near future. Watch our newsletter for dates and times!
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Promenade Park Grand Opening
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Soarin' Hawk also was honored to participate in the festivities for the grand opening of Promenade Park in Fort Wayne on Sunday, August 11. Over 15,000 people attended the event, and more than 2,000 visited our booth, where - once again - Jefferson left the crowd in awe. We're working with Promenade Park to set up recurring presentations there. Keep watching the newsletter for dates and times!
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EDUCATION CORNER
OWLS - HOW DO THEY ROTATE THEIR HEADS WITHOUT KILLING THEMSELVES?
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As children, many of us were told that owls can turn their heads completely around
.
As it turns out, that statement is only 75% correct. Owls can only rotate their heads 270 - not 360 - degrees, but still, how the heck do they do that?
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We were able to rescue this beautiful great horned owl, thanks to donations from people like you. Won't you make a donation now so we can help others like this owl? No contribution is too small!
Your donation is tax deductible.
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