Wonderful News! Cooper’s Hawk
WONDERFUL NEWS! On September 8, I posted the story of finding a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk stunned and injured on a sidewalk outside the Stay Fit Gym here in Sartell. Standing guard and asking folks to give the bird a wide berth, I called my friend Elaine Thrune, a wildlife rehabilitator. Elaine arrived quickly and with a bit of subterfuge and a muskie net, we were able to capture this beautiful bird. As I had to leave on an out-of-town trip, Elaine drove it partway to the Twin Cities, where staff from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center took over for the remaining transport.
Yesterday I received a call from the Raptor Center that our bird was fully recovered (soft tissue wing trauma and eye injury) and ready for release! This morning, volunteers Jim and Mary arrived in Sartell, and one very wild and happy male Cooper’s Hawk was returned to the skies. Coops are indeed wild and there was no posing or fooling around. After much chirping and noise-making, we got one shot as the bird burst out of his carrying case, then zoomed downwind toward some cottonwoods. We may have been as thrilled as the hawk. What a grand experience! Thanks to Elaine, Jim, Mary, my wife Kathy, and all who contributed to this happy day! Video to follow…