On Monday afternoon, Bowen Islanders witnessed a rescue of a special kind as a baby hawk was airlifted to the OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society. The bird had been discovered by Jean Coker who was taking a stroll with her new baby and her son at the Davies Orchard. The family heard a bird scream and found that it was attacked by several crows. Coker was looking for help when she was joined by Christine Radley, who was walking her dogs. "I was with Angie [Shields], my dog trainer," Radley said. "The bird was right on the lawn beside the [heritage] cottage behind Tuscany and there were about eight crows dive-bombing it."
They discussed possible courses of action and phoned the vet who recommended getting in touch with the Coast Animal Welfare and Education Society (CAWES). Radley also phoned her friend Rebecca Salmon whom she credits with having experience with birds.
"She arrived with a box and blanket and got the bird,"Radley said, adding that Salmon had also contacted OWL and was told that they would send a helicopter.
The helicopter arrived a short time later and pilot Norm Snihur collected the bird, according the Radley. By now, a sizable crowd of onlookers had gathered, witnessing how the bird was safely stowed for take-off.
At the OWL facility in Delta, the bird was identified as a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Rob Hope is the bird care supervisor at OWL. He said, "Normally at OWL, we receive about 400 birds of prey every year. For the birds that come in having a chance, the release rate is 70 to 75 per cent."
Unfortunately the little hawk from Bowen Island didn't fall into that category. Hope said that the bird's bottom jaw was broken and his mouth infected.
"It had gotten to the point where he didn't eat," he said. "The young male weighed about 25 grams when he should have been 95 to 100 gram for a bird of his size. He perished in the night but he was lucky enoughto be warm and comfortable."
Hope said that Bowen Islanders made the right call to contact OWL. "All we can hope for is that people are aware of what we are doing and know that there are places for help," he said. "We prefer that they call us rather then just leave a bird in distress.
"We need the general public to be our eyes and ears and step up to become the birds' saviours. And I wanted to thank [Bowen Islanders] for taking that action." Hope added that Snihur's assistance makes a lot of difference for the OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society. "It's great to have half an hour of flight instead of facing a long drive and a ferry ride," he said. To check out the work of the society, please see http://www.owlcanada.ca.
