Meet Hawkeye

I would like you to meet "Hawkeye", a red-tail hawk about 6 years old, a resident at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center in Decatur, AL. She was hit by a truck about 4 years ago and taken to a vet for repair. Her wing was severely broken and the veterinarian set it, but it broke again, this time with irreversible nerve damage. As she now has no way to defend herself in the wild it was decided that she should be "put down"!

Daphne Moland, a ranger at Wheeler NWR, decided to try to tame her to a glove and a hood, then she could be used in a rapture education program. Hawkeye had already learned to hunt in the wild and therefore would be very difficult to train to captivity, but with the help of other rapture experts, Daphne persevered and now Hawkeye is a favorite attraction at the refuge as well as at Rapture and Birds of Prey shows around the area.

One of our duties on Saturdays is to "feed" Hawkeye, which simply means dropping a squirrel, a quail or other delicacy that Daphne has indicated as appropriate for the day through the bars of her large cage . Actually it was decided that feeding will be Bill's duty!!!!

In the wild a hawks beak and talons are kept worn down by natural hunting, etc, but in capitivity Hawkeye's talons and beak have to be manicured periodically. As you might well imagine this is a very delicate procedure and requires great teamwork. I happened to have my camera near on the day Daphne and Kevin did this bit of grooming.

First Daphne had to get Hawkeye to "glove" and after securing her tethers, she was taken into a dark room to be "hooded". After that she became quite docile, but great care was taken to avoid her powerful talons and beak. A pencil between her "lips" and clear box tape around her talons does the trick. Then it is a matter of clip and file........!

Daphne with Hooded Hawkeye

Kevin and Daphne "taping" Hawkeye's Talons

Note pencil in beak as it is manicured

Bill did not get to see this as he had duties elsewhere that day, and though Daphne and Kevin think this is routine, I will never forget the day I watched them give a hawk a manicure!