pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
TriState Bird Rescue and Rehabilitators (TSBRR) was started by Lynn Frink back in 1976. I volunteer on the renesting team. I got a text this morning that said there was a RSHA (Red-Shouldered HAwk) needing to go back to a nest. The nest site was a good fifty minutes drive northeast of where I live. It was found on the ground last weekend, transported to TSBRR, where a veterinarian does a full physical assessment, measurements, and blood work, it is fed, and when it’s determined to be fit goes back to the nest.
If the nest has collapsed we carry a wicker basket up, tie or bungee it in place, and fill it with pine needles to provide a safe nesting spot.
I get to the site early, set my line and ascend, assess the integrity of the nest, add sticks if needed, or install the wicker basket, and typically tie a spare line in a loop to haul up the returnee. The endless loop allows the ground crew to keep counter tension to avoid smacking the bird around on the way up.
The transporter takes a pillow case sized bag with an inserted drawstring, places a bag of food (mice and small birds (today it was starlings) in the bottom of it, with a folded top sheet over the food bag so their talons won’t tear through, and then the little one(s) is(are) placed into the bag, closed and carabinered to a cow hitch in the second line.
Once I get the bag up to me I untie it, gently place the young bird into the nest, then hang and drape the mice and feed birds around the general vicinity, take a few photos, and get out of Dodge!
the two RSHAs still in the nest today were very skittish and I was afraid they too would leave the nest as they backed up as far as was possible away from me. As their brother came up in the bag he scolded in a loud manner, and the closer he came the louder he got, and the quieter the other two became, and they appeared to relax, and moved back toward me, curious about the bag.
If the nest has collapsed we carry a wicker basket up, tie or bungee it in place, and fill it with pine needles to provide a safe nesting spot.
I get to the site early, set my line and ascend, assess the integrity of the nest, add sticks if needed, or install the wicker basket, and typically tie a spare line in a loop to haul up the returnee. The endless loop allows the ground crew to keep counter tension to avoid smacking the bird around on the way up.
The transporter takes a pillow case sized bag with an inserted drawstring, places a bag of food (mice and small birds (today it was starlings) in the bottom of it, with a folded top sheet over the food bag so their talons won’t tear through, and then the little one(s) is(are) placed into the bag, closed and carabinered to a cow hitch in the second line.
Once I get the bag up to me I untie it, gently place the young bird into the nest, then hang and drape the mice and feed birds around the general vicinity, take a few photos, and get out of Dodge!
the two RSHAs still in the nest today were very skittish and I was afraid they too would leave the nest as they backed up as far as was possible away from me. As their brother came up in the bag he scolded in a loud manner, and the closer he came the louder he got, and the quieter the other two became, and they appeared to relax, and moved back toward me, curious about the bag.
