PORTVILLE, N.Y. — The Pfeiffer Nature Center on Lillibridge Road played an essential role in the rescue of a distressed juvenile red-tailed hawk last week.
Beth Bergreen-Frost of the center said the injured hawk was found by two men hiking a trail in McKean County.
“I answered a call in the morning from the hikers, who wanted to surrender the bird to us because we were the nearest nature center,” Bergreen-Frost said. “However, we do not have the capability to rehabilitate at this point in time so I told them I’d gladly make some calls to try and get the bird aid.”
Soon there was a knock at the door and the two hikers walked in, one of them carrying a limp bird in his arms.
“The bird’s mouth was open with its tongue out,” Bergreen-Frost said. “You could tell it was in distress because they pant like dogs trying to cool their bodies down.”
Bergreen-Frost placed the hawk gently in a cardboard box to soothe it while she continued making calls to locate a facility able to rehabilitate a raptor.
She continued caring for the injured bird until Mark Baker of Olean, a raptor expert and rehabilitator who works with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, arrived.
“When he got to the nature center, he took the bird out of the box and was able to evaluate her by feeling her stomach and observing her general appearance,” Bergreen-Frost said. “She was malnourished and hungry. She was also covered in ‘flat flies,’ which can be very harmful to birds.”
Flat flies, also known as louse flies, are insects that are external parasites of animals, mostly birds.
Matthew Kichman, executive director of the Pfeiffer Nature Center, who spoke to Baker on Sunday for an update on the condition of the hawk, said it was recovering and doing well.
“She will be released back into the wild as soon as she is able to safely return,” he said.
Bergreen-Frost said “it was a really cool experience” to have the bird at the center.
“We are really glad we could aid in its rescue,” she said. “Beverly Jones, the naturalist at our center, who possesses a degree in biology, told me only approximately 20% of juvenile red-tailed hawks make it in the wild — which makes this rescue that much more important.”
The Pfeiffer Nature Center is a locally funded organization with more than 676 acres of land on two properties, the first on Lillibridge Road and second on Yubadam Road. The center is continually accepting new members and corporate sponsors are needed.
To become a member or corporate sponsor contact Kichman at 378-5621. For more information about the Pfeiffer Nature Center call 933-0187 or visit pfeiffernaturecenter.org.
