Red Tail Rescue

DsrtVW · September 28, 2009

Having a nice Sunday drive home from work. Pheasant were out in force so were White Fronted Geese. Hawks were well represented. Juvenile Red Tails
First one was having dinner next to the road.

This one I thought was having dinner in this tree,

Except when he went to fly off he did not make it very far.

It looks like his last meal got rapped around his foot some how, with the heat(100+ here this week) it probably dried and shrunk around his leg. Which then hung up around the branch he was perched on. His struggling did not get him free.

He was about 10 to 12 feet up in the tree. Luckily I had worked that day and was in my work van. I had my wire pulling rods on board and grab them and went across the canal. Was worried he would hurt himself and tried to make quick work of it. Hooked the remnants that had him hung up pulled. Then thought what happens if he hangs up on the pull rod, I should have brought something to cover him. Hawk wrestling can be painful.
But luckily he was able to fly off after freeing him from the branch.
Unfortunately the piece of animal that was on his leg remained so I afraid it will happen again.