Just like humans go to the doctor for a yearly physical, the captive birds of prey here at the Bird Sanctuary also have physicals, only theirs are monthly. Each week a health check is performed on one to two of the raptors, depending on when the birds were last examined. While I have observed the procedure before, this past week I performed a check and captured a bird from its enclosure for the first time.

Luckily I started off with the smallest bird of prey on the property, the Eastern Screech Owl. I put on my leather gloves (he may be small but his talons are sharp) and walked a bit hesitantly into his enclosure. But there was nothing to worry about, all I had to do was lift the lid on his box and reach my hand inside. Even though he put up a fight I didn’t feel anything with the gloves. Then he was taken to the research building so that we (two people are needed for a health check) could record his weight, inspect for damaged feathers, and make sure there was nothing noticeably wrong with the bird.

After my trial run with the owl I moved onto larger prey: two Red-tailed Hawks. My thin leather gloves wouldn’t protect me from their talons. I needed thick Kevlar lined gloves instead. I’ll admit it was a challenge to catch the birds. While neither of the birds can fly, they are quick on their feet making them difficult to capture and the slick snow didn’t help. However, we eventually caught them and recorded their information. In both the hawk’s and owl’s case I’m sure they were very happy to be released.

I hope this gives a little insight into what it takes to maintain the health of some of the birds here at the sanctuary.

Examination of a Red-tailed Hawk's mouth during a routine health check