Wednesday afternoon, a call came in saying one of the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledglings appeared to be sick or injured. With my stomach in knots, I headed to the park where I found it on the ground in the skateboard area.
People hanging out there said the hawk had been on the ground a while and they had called 311 earlier to try and get help. When I arrived, the hawk appeared a bit listless and couldn't fly. It also appeared hot (it was about 84° F at the time) and tried to cool itself by sitting in a puddle.
Rob Mastrianni and the NYC Urban Park Rangers soon arrived to assess the situation. This video starts at the moment the hawk was netted.
Rob examined the fledgling, checking for injuries or signs of illness.
It wasn't obvious what was wrong with the hawk, so Rob and the rangers took it to Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side to be checked more thoroughly.
As of this posting, I haven't had any information on the hawk's condition, but will post an update as soon as I know.
If this all sounds familiar, one of last year's fledglings was rescued by Rob on July 27, 2023, and taken to WINNOR. She was returned to the park on August 29, but had to be rescued again on September 19. It was never determined what was wrong with that fledgling, but she was able to be re-released a few weeks later.
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