Rehabilitating
a Passage Sparrowhawk
REHABILITATING
A PASSAGE SPARROWHAWK It has always been an ambition of mine to fly a passage sparrow hawk – something not easily done (legally) here in the UK. In January of this year, I finally got my chance when I was offered the opportunity to rehabilitate a passage female sparrow hawk which had previously broken her leg. The spar was found by a member of the public and handed into a veterinary centre where head vet, Karl Jennings tended to her injury. Karl did an exceptional job and the leg when healed seemed 100% perfect. All that was needed now was to give the hawk a quick ‘test run’ to make sure that everything was in order and she would be once again able to fend for herself in the wild. On 22nd January I collected the spar from Karl’s house. Karl had actually given her a little exercise on the creance once her leg healed but had since left her to rest for several weeks. She had received minimal handling and was now wild and fat. Despite Karl’s best efforts to protect her feathers during her spell in captivity, her tail was showing signs of wear and tear. I removed the tape that had been bound around her tail for protection and found that it had not really served its purpose. I imped all twelve tail feathers and then left her to settle. The following day she fed upon the fist and I continued to feed her light rations (always on the fist) over the course of the following week. She was incredibly steady on the glove and so I began to take her with me as I walked my dogs in the afternoons. As we walked I would occasionally place her upon a fence post (leashed to the glove) and jump her to the fist for a few mouthfuls of food. By 30th January “Connie” (as my two year old son, Reece had now named her) was responsive enough for her first
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THE CHASE
The Authors son Reece with ‘Connie’