By Bea Harrison

As members of the new Save-A-Bird team at Spokane Audubon, we knew just what to do when we got an urgent message from Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. There is an injured hawk in someone’s backyard in Spokane Valley. Can someone help?

Armed with a large fishing net and an old blanket, a cardboard box and leather gloves, Jim and I sprang into action.

We arrived at the location, in a regular urban neighborhood. The homeowner greeted us and said that unfortunately the hawk he had reported to WDFW had disappeared. It had been hopping around his yard for several days with a drooping wing and now it was nowhere to be found.

We followed him into the backyard and began to search. We peered into the thick hedges around the fence line. We looked around the brush pile. We searched behind the backyard shed. We looked in low branches, the neighbors’ backyards, and under the porch. Everywhere. No hawk.

The homeowner began to apologize for our long drive, and we thought about leaving, but decided to wait a few minutes and see if it reappeared. We got some lawn chairs and got comfortable. Nothing.

One more search and we decided to leave. Then, I happened to face the house and caught a glimpse of a huge, beautiful red-tailed hawk. It was standing on the back porch by the sliding door in front of a big box fan. I think it was hoping for a cool breeze! The three of us looked at each other and said, “How did we miss it”?

We cautiously approached the bird, which was so large that we decided it was a female, as female red-tails are significantly larger than males. The bird turned its head and gave us the evil eye but did not move. Jim lay the lightweight blanket over the bird’s head and gently picked her up, making sure to keep the talons facing away from him. We placed it into a cardboard pet carrier and closed the top. Whew!

The homeowner said the bird had been in his yard for several days and he had set out some drinking water for it. He and his wife were worried about her when they noticed that she seemed to be able to raise only one of her wings. They started calling her Henrietta Hawk and watched her through the window.

A call to Hunter Veterinary Clinic and we were on our way for much needed expert help. We handed Henrietta off to Dr. Mark Schrag, newly licensed to rehabilitate raptors and the only one in Spokane County. This was the first time Save-A-Bird has been able to use his services. Many times we drive birds all the way to the WSU Veterinary College’s Wildlife and Exotics Ward in Pullman. Hunter Vet Clinic is in central Spokane, which is much closer and more convenient. Dr Schrag will be able to assess Henrietta’s injuries and has the facilities to nurse her back to health if she is not too severely injured.

We wished Henrietta and Dr. Schrag goodbye and drove away with hope in our hearts, ready to answer another call for birds in crisis.

To contact Save-A-Bird, go to https://www.audubonspokane.org/contact-us.

Read about Red-tailed hawks here: https://www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-red-tailed-hawk