Hawk Gets Second Chance to Soar

A red-tailed hawk was given a second chance to soar after it was injured in a car collision last winter and the Durango police officer who rescued the raptor was the one to release him. You’re watching the Local News Network brought to you by Tafoya Barrett and Associates and Serious Texas Bar-B-Q. I’m Wendy Graham Settle. When Durango police officer Leonard Martinez was called to the scene of an accident last winter, it was no ordinary fender bender. A red-tailed hawk had collided with a car on U.S. Highway 550, just north of Durango, and it lay stunned on the pavement. Martinez took the bird to Durango Hospital, where vets examined it for broken bones and other injuries. Turns out the bird was just in shock and probably had a concussion to boot, so it was sent to a raptor rehabilitation center to heal. Six weeks later, Colorado Parks and Wildlife contacted Martinez to ask if he wanted to release the bird himself. As a small audience gathered at United Campgrounds of Durango, the bird soared to the top of a nearby cottonwood to survey its original home range.

But this is another thing we try to do. If we’re going to release one, we release them, you know, as close to where we found them as possible, so they are back into their home range. They know the lay of the land, they know where to hunt and so forth.

Martinez said he felt gratified to see the bird he rescued flying again.

It’s great. I enjoy just wildlife in the area we live in. So it’s always good to get them back and get them doing what they do.

If you come across an injured wild animal, Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends that you call 911 and they will contact the appropriate agency. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network, serving Montezuma County, La Plata County, Archuleta County, Telluride, and Farmington, New Mexico. I’m Wendy Graham Settle.

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