Barred owl returns home!!. This barred owl came to us a few weeks back after a concerned passerby saw this guy sitting on the ground not moving. When we picked this guy up it was apparent that this guy had some form of head trauma either from a window strike or a car. After a few weeks of rest and recovery he was given the okay to return home. Riverside Raptor was given an opportunity to be apart of returning this guy home. Good luck out there little guy wishing you the best. #owlrescue#owl#barredowl#owlrehab#barredowl
Thanks to two of our donors, Cooper R .and Lucas R. Our Merlin orphans are sitting protected and secluded in a new Hack Box. Here they will be supported while they develop their flight feathers, then given their liberty to come and go as they please. Thanks guys for making this possible.
Kricket our female American Kestrel is enjoying a yummy treat of super-worms. Insects are an essential part of a kestrels diet. Kricket is also going through a natural process that birds do which is called moulting, this is when they drop and regrow all the feathers on their body. You can see Kricket is missing a few feathers and growing some new ones in.
Welcome Ivy. This girl is one of several subspecies of peregrine falcon found through the world and our newest captive bred raptor to help with our efforts. #peregrinefalcon #raptors
Kricket, our Raptor in residence here at Riverside is ready for the fall and all the education opportunities it may hold. Kricket is a captive bred kestrel and by being so chatty, is not hiding the fact she is a human imprint.as such, she is very unlikely to survive the rigours of a wild life. Instead she lives here at our facility and helps in our education programs around Raptor conservation. #americankestrel #riversideraptorresuce #educationforconservation #bornfreelivefree
Orphan rescue 2023 has been quite a ride. We here @riversideraptorrescue are thrilled to report that 12 orphaned raptors of various species were fostered flight trained and released back to a second chance at a wild life. Thanks to all the caring people who called us for assistance and our valued rehabbers who see the value in what we do here at Riverside. In this short clip, Delaney has the honours of setting this young American kestrel free ( Ontario’s smallest falcon species) He arrived in our care as a tiny fluff ball of fluff ,but quickly showed he had the stuff to one day face the rigours and freedom of a wild life. #raptorrehab #americankestrel #falcon #birdeofprey #bornfreelivefree
When any raptor comes in for foster care or conditioning for release @riversideraptorrescue they go through a standard routine wellness check. This young male American kestrel was brought to us from one of our trusted wildlife rehabilitation partners after his cavity tree was felled. Unfortunately he was the sole survivor of the tragic event. Of course he doesn’t think much of this process, but getting a baseline of his condition and body weight is vital in order to move him through our process and ultimately back to the wild. #americankestrel #raptorrescue #riversideraptorrescue #falconsofinstagram #bornfreelivefree
After completing his foster care at Riverside this male American Kestrel was good to go. And go he did. Releasing birds like this requires patients. It’s important to let the bird decide it’s ready rather than hoisting it skyward in a dramatic fashion, more designed to get social media clicks than aid the bird itself. Here the bird’s carrying case is opened and he is given time to acclimatize before he goes on his own schedule. It’s always a happy moment when we @Riversideraptorrescue see a bird ready, willing and able to re-engage a wild life. #americankestrel #raptorrescue#falcon #freebird
And just like that, The last of the 2023 merlin orphans are on the wing. Flying skills are developing nicely as they chase each other around. This is an important phase of their development as they acquire the agility and speed to catch small birds on the wing. We continue to provide food, but we do so in such a way that they do not see us as a food source. Fear of humans is also an important development,however the fact that this bird chose my wife’s car as a feeding platform proves there is more work to do on that front. #raptors #raptorrescue #merlins #falcons #wildhack
American kestrel orphan to be fostered here @riversideraptorrescue This one is a male as indicated by this red back feathers that are emerging. He is yet another found after a storm downed their tree that housed them in a cavity. Kestrels, like most falcons do not build nests. They utilities already existing platforms to raise their young. Kestrels depend on cavities in trees. It seems like we are being over run with babies again this year ,but experience has taught us that it’s only a matter of weeks and they will be all on their way to a wild life. #keepthemwild #americankestrel #wildhack #bornfreestayfree
This noisy mob represent our orphaned Merlin’s . Merlins are small agile falcons native to Ontario. Orphan Merlin’s are a regular thing here @riversideraptorrescue due to a number of factors , not the least of which is their tendency to use old crow and ravens nests to raise their young. These nests are often at the tops of spruce trees. Returning nestlings is often impossible due to the fragility of the soft wood of the spruce . Wild hacking is a proven method of allowing young birds to continue their development towards a wild life while being supported by blind feeding and limited human exposure to ensure they stay independent of humans. These birds in the video are well on their way now with most already testing their flying skills against dragonflies. It won’t be long before they will all take their place and chances in the wild. #wildhack #merlins #raptorrescue #falconsofinstagram
