Rough-legged Hawk Release

It is always important to think about the timing of a release especially when it comes to migratory birds. A Rough-legged Hawk is a migratory bird that only visits Wisconsin during our winter months. They are already starting their long journey back up to the northern tundras of Canada and Alaska where they build their nests in and lay their eggs in June. This beautiful arctic bird came to us in during its migration away from the tundra in October. She was hit on the road along Hwy 64. When we received a call about her the people reported her as dead. We often receive calls about already dead raptors however, we still encourage people to bring them into us so we can investigate their reason for death and report it in our records. It turns out when she arrived that she was NOT dead at all! She was unconscious with a slight wing injury and some internal bleeding all most likely cause by a collision with a vehicle. It has taken her almost 6 months to fully recover from her injuries but with enough time to start her migration north again. Below you can see her fly straight and sound with a second chance at a free life.