Bay Raptor Rescue

15/08/2024

31/07/2024

Equinox (Nox) update: Here's a recent photo taken by one of our Operations Managers! Nox's latest radiographs showed healing progress and we'll be sharing more updates in the coming weeks.

If you'd like to help support the care of Nox, you can make a donation online at: give.ucdavis.edu/VRAP/V160000

23/07/2024

We are very excited to announce a live YouTube Q&A with the Director of California Raptor Center, Dr. Michelle Hawkins, tomorrow at 1pm! Come prepared with your questions about Nox, Wildlife Rehabilitation, and anything else you can think of.

https://youtube.com/live/e6qg-NHhT6o

22/07/2024

Raptor conservation lost a hero.
Hope his spirit is soaring high.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/06/02/southern-bald-eagle-recovery-pioneer-steve-sherrod-dies-at-76-bartlesville-oklahoma/73947438007/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0K1eyInLpZp2LrJcA367P9ZdgxS6dHKmL3S0k92Cqieakp1l51ckQ7z-I_aem_Iy207V96WsBHYcWbZQjoHA

Steve Sherrod died May 26 after a sudden downturn in a years-long fight with Parkinson’s Disease.

16/07/2024

12/07/2024

Equinox Update: His appetite decreased after surgery but his caregivers are happy to report that his appetite is returning and he has been chowing down on mice and quail!

08/07/2024

Nox is looking good post surgery. Keep it up, little guy.

Equinox (Nox) update: Last week this young peregrine falcon underwent surgery at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to repair a broken carpometacarpal bone in his right wing. He is recovering well under the care of our raptor specialists - here's a photo taken yesterday by one of his caregivers!

06/07/2024

04/07/2024

UPDATE: We transported NOX to UC Davis Veterinary Medical Hospital Friday, where in the afternoon exotic animal surgeons repaired his fractured right carpometacarpal bone with a small temporary plate and pins. NOX will recover and rebuild his strength and stamina at the California Raptor Center. We will post periodic updates, so please don’t phone the Hospital or Raptor Center for information. So many of us care about NOX, we do not want to overwhelm these facilities with phone calls. They need to spend their time helping the animals, not us. Thanks to all of you for your good wishes and support.

Annie and Archie's youngest chick broke a bone in his wing and had to be rescued after a marina employee recognized the bird in distress.

10/05/2024

Hope you can join us at Los Gatos Birdwatcher for a fun afternoon.

Please join us Sunday May 19 for an afternoon with Craig Nikitas of Bay Area Raptor Rescue. He will share with us the ways he helps raptors survive in our human world. 3:30 - 5 pm at the store. $30 refreshments included. Call 408-358-9453 to reserve your spot. 📷 Cooper’s Hawk saved from chain link fence!

18/11/2023

Monofilament in weird places and birds do not mix well. This owl’s wing was caught in some line that was attached to the roof of a townhouse in Pleasant Hill.

18/10/2023

Thank you WCSV for your work on this little owl. I’m so glad to see it upright and alert considering its poor condition when I got it out of the netting.

03/08/2023

RED-TAIL NECROPSY RESULTS

I received a digital report of the results of the necropsy conducted by the Wildlife Health Laboratory, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, on the remains of the fledgling Red-Tailed Hawk (“Tuffy2”) taken as a nestling by Bald Eagles and raised in their San Jose nest.

For those who want to read the backstory, links to news articles are posted in the comments.

I am not authorized to publish or distribute copies of the report. Those who have questions, or want to see the report should contact CDFW Public Affairs Officer Ken Paglia ([email protected]).

I have summarized the findings in the first comment. They are clinical and perhaps not something everyone will want to read. Use your judgment. I also hope that people will be able to balance their empathy for the hawk and the pathos of its demise, with an understanding that this is raw nature. Anthropomorphizing the behavior of wild animals, and trying to apply human consciousness and morality to those actions, aren’t helpful in understanding what happened here.

I also wanted to thank all of you who followed the story, and those who donated to Bay Raptor Rescue in support of our work helping Raptors in distress. I wish with all my heart, when the hawk moved far enough from the nest and it became it legal to attempt her capture, that it wasn’t too late to help her. Unfortunately, it was.

Photo by Doug Gillard

01/04/2023

Oliver is home!

Oliver, a hooded vulture, hadn’t strayed too far after Tuesday’s massive storm damaged the Savanna Aviary where he lives — he spent the last three days in trees on Zoo grounds, being carefully observed by Animal Care department staffers and others.

Late this afternoon, Oliver was persuaded to explore the flamingo habitat (the rescue team placed some tasty treats for Oliver to find in there). We are very happy to have this endangered bird back safe and sound!

04/03/2023

Today is the 50th annual World Wildlife Day! The theme for 2023 is “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation,” highlighting and celebrating the importance of collaboration when it comes to protecting biodiversity and working toward wildlife conservation and a more sustainable future.

At WildCare we know it takes a village! Our relationships within our local communities and partnerships with other organizations strengthen and uphold our mission to build a better world for wildlife and the people who share their habitats. We truly couldn’t do what we do without the unwavering, supportive, mutual collaboration upon which we’ve come to rely.

When a local resident called WildCare about a downed and distressed Red-tailed Hawk grounded and struggling at a construction site, it was our friend Craig at Bay Raptor Rescue who dropped everything to drive out, contain the bird, and bring him to our hospital. After almost three weeks in our care and a lot of significant improvement, this hawk needed to spend some time inside a flight aviary spacious enough to allow and encourage a large bird of prey to practice swooping and perching. That’s when we transferred the bird into the helping hands of our good friends at Sonoma Wildlife Rescue, where they would finish up the rehabilitation process before evaluating for release back to the wild.

WildCare’s amazing staff and volunteers are our lifeblood, but it’s our partnerships with other organizations that often allow us to go the extra mile and to do more with what we’ve got. Sending gratitude to Marin Humane, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, Napa Valley Wildlife Rescue, International Bird Rescue, The Bird Rescue Center, Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Rescue, Bay Raptor Rescue, Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue, San Francisco Animal Care & Control, Native Songbird Care & Conservation, Fawn Rescue of Sonoma County, Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, and so many more.

02/01/2023

HAPPY 2023, EVERYONE! Looking forward to a new year of rescues. Here’s a species summary of last year’s work, a 33% increase over 2021. The large proportion of Red-tails was a surprise — usually Cooper’s Hawks lead.
Remember: when a raptor’s in trouble we’re there on the double!

09/12/2022

21/11/2022

Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk was in good condition and released outside after capture. Live Water Surf Shop (Stinson Beach).

29/09/2022

Cooper’s Hawk rescued from San Francisco transit station:

This juvenile male flew into the Glen Park BART Station and through a gap in the “bird exclusion” netting, and was unable to find his way out of the space between the netting & the ceiling. Thanks to BART staff, who provided a scissor lift so I could get to the space where the bird was, 25 feet above the floor.

14/07/2022

29/06/2022

“A wonderful bird is the Pelican.
His bill can hold more than his belly can.
He can store food in his beak
For over a week,
And I don’t know how in the hell he can.”

But he shouldn’t be perched in a tree in an urban park, exhausted and unmoving for hours.
We received a report from neighbor Phill Simon, who noticed this Brown Pelican stuck in the middle of Glen Canyon in San Francisco. Phill was an amazing “wingman” — his assistance enabled me to thrash through 3-foot high blackberry bushes and dense poison oak growth to get to the tree near Islais Creek and net the pelican. I handed Phill the bird to hold while I freed myself from the thorny vines, and the pelican and I were able to make it back to the trail. I took the bird to the great staff at WildCare, where it was examined and stabilized, and the following morning it was transferred to International Bird Rescue, a Fairfield facility that specializes in aquatic birds. Hopefully it wil recover and be released, while I deal with the worst poison oak infection I’ve ever had.

10/06/2022

IT’S BABY BIRD SEASON!
You may know that many fledgling birds end up on the ground before they can fly. They spend a few days out of the nest in a sort of Boot Camp/Rumspringa, watched, protected and fed by their parents, but also learning about the world as their flight feathers grow and they achieve the power of flight. It can be harrowing for concerned human on-lookers, but as long as the kid is safe from the elements and predators, and is uninjured and being fed by parents, it should be OK. Unfortunately this Raven youngster seemed to have a leg injury, and a droopy but unbroken wing, so it was taken to rehab today. Hope it recovers. Thanks to concerned neighbors for the call.

26/03/2022

Stayin’ Alive:

When these Barn Owls were spotted seemingly grooving to the funky beat up in the rafters at a roller disco in San Francisco they looked like real party animals!

When Melanie, WildCare's Director of Animal Care & a frequent patron of the rink, saw the post on Facebook, she knew that the owls were actually in dire need of rescue.

After contacting Craig from Bay Raptor Rescue, he agreed they had more going on than a case of disco fever and that they desperately needed help—and fast!

This one-of-a-kind roller rink is built inside a century old church so you can imagine the sky-high ceilings and drafty, exposed nooks and crannies. It took a total of nine trips and seven trapping sessions to get all three Barn Owls, but Craig was determined, and didn’t give up.

When the owls were all finally brought to WildCare, intake exams were grim. All three of these beautiful birds had been starving, were dangerously emaciated, and were so severely dehydrated that our medical staff could not even extract a small blood sample. Had they been trapped indoors another day or two, it would probably have been too late. Sadly, one of the trapped trio was too far gone and could not be saved, but the two we were able to take into care have just been released after a month-long, successful rehabilitation at WildCare!

It’s hard not to anthropomorphize (ascribe human qualities to) wild animals like these owls, but we have to try to remember—and appreciate—how different they are from us, despite our desire to connect with them. If you find a bird or other wild animal who is trapped indoors, please act quickly and find qualified help! It could be the difference between life and death for the animal.

To read the full story, including how WildCare teamed up with The Church of 8 Wheels and Hungry Owl Project to make sure the owls wouldn’t be able to inadvertently recreate their skating rink saga, and to see photos of their rescue and their deluxe new high-rise home, go to bit.ly/DiscoOwls

01/01/2022

Happy New Year, fans of wildlife. Looking back, 2021 was a big year for Bay Raptor Rescue. With over 120 requests for service, resulting in 80 captures/rescues, we were hoppin’! Check out some of our work in the montage below. However, as I posted in the comments, the new year is off to a dismal start.

21/12/2021

One key to Heron rescues is to keep the stabby part away from your face.

01/12/2021

When you go to the tractor store to buy Hawks-in-a-Box, but all they have left is the display sample.
(Raptors rescued with federal permit)

15/11/2021

31/10/2021

Some rescues require driving long distances through horrid traffic, sometimes on multiple days, working inside cluttered, dusty, noisy industrial shops or busy retail spaces with lots of human activity, and with the poor raptor upset and perching in inaccessible areas.
Recently I had a rare, ideal rescue. It was in SF, a twenty-minute drive from home. The juvenile male Cooper’s Hawk had flown into our iconic Ferry Building, and was high in the roof trusses visible from the more sedate upper floors, above the bustling commuters and tourists, and busy coffee and food shops at ground level below. So I had a clean, beautiful space with spatial geometry that created an isolated, elevated trapping lane near where the hawk hung out. The staff was great — helpful and concerned for the bird, and the hawk itself calm and alert. It was trapped in 20 mins, and in good enough condition to be released outside — so immediate freedom instead of a drive to Rehab. Wish all rescues were like this one.

10/08/2021

It’s been a while since we’ve posted. Not because nothing’s been happening; just the opposite. The last three months have been our busiest ever. Over the next few days we’ll document some of our recent frenzied activity, but first, let’s discuss an important element of raptor trapping: STEALTH.
BRR associate Peter Meyer covertly surveils a Cooper’s Hawk in a gigantic warehouse by blending in with the inventory. Shhhh.

24/05/2021