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The injured hawk at Weston Nurseries on Sept. 19.

Hopkinton, MA -- An injured immature male Red-tail Hawk was found on Weston Nurseries property on September 19th. Weston Nurseries employee Victor Gelinas contacted licensed falconer Jon Schuster, who trapped the bird and took it home. Jon contacted another falconer, Bill Hatch who was looking for a bird to fly this fall. (State and Federal Laws allow licensed falconers to trap some birds at certain times of the year) Bill went to help determine the hawk's suitability for use in falconry or if he should be let go.

The hawk seemed far too tame and willing to be handled so Bill was sure "something" was wrong. Having worked with many freshly caught immature Red-tails, Bill knew that the bird was not well. A few minutes of examination revealed that the young hawk was suffering from a single pellet gunshot wound. The wound was not fresh; it was probably a couple of weeks old, and he was slowly starving to death because of the wound.

According to Bill, the decision was easy at that point; he needed Tufts. Bill transported the bird to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton on Sept. 23rd. The medical staff removed the single shot pellet, and treated the bird for lead poisoning and a previously broken wing.

After being in the good hands of the Tufts medical staff for almost a month, the bird is now ready to go home. Bill is picking up the Red-tail Hawk on Wednesday Oct. 21 and transporting it to Weston Nurseries to be released back into the wild, estimated time 4:30 pm. We are all looking forward to witnessing the wonderful recovery!

Thanks to Bill Hatch for his efforts and kindness, and to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University for providing the medical care. Bill is making a donation to the school to help cover the medical cost. Tufts always welcomes donations in the form of volunteer help or financial aid to support this type of collaborative endeavor to care for our local wildlife.

Please feel free to attend the hawk's release or contact me for more information.

Jennifer Angell
Marketing Manager
508-293-8010 (office)
508-962-1077 (cell)

Update October 22: The Hawk was released and flew away! Check out the story and photos at Metrowest Daily News and at HopNews.com