Eagle, hawks released into wild

SHARON — The Sharon Audubon Center facilitated the release this week of two red-tailed hawks on Saturday, March 26, and a golden eagle on Monday, March 28.The hawks had both been rehabilitation patients of the Audubon Center on Route 4. One had arrived on Sept. 25, 2010; the other had only been there for about a month. The first hawk, before being brought to Audubon, may have been kept (illegally) in captivity; it had pieces of copper wire attached to its leg. It was found by a state Environmental Conservation officer on the side of a road. The wire had scratched through to the bird’s bone.The second hawk was rescued after it got tangled up in a chicken coop. It had attacked and eaten one of the chickens, and was then unable to get out. It had fractured a bone above its eye, and one of its talons had been damaged. After a month at Audubon, the hawk was ready for release back into the wild. Both birds were freed on the grounds of the Audubon Center at noon on Saturday, March 26, in front of a crowd of about 50 onlookers.“Both birds flew away beautifully,” said Rehab and Outreach Coordinator Erin O’Connell. “They both sat in a tree for a little while, but then one flew off. The other stayed for about an hour to get oriented.”On Monday morning, March 28, another large crowd gathered at an overlook in Mohawk State Forest in Cornwall, to watch the release of a golden eagle, a species that is rarely seen on the East Coast. The eagle was found in Amenia and brought to Audubon Feb. 9. It did not have use of its left leg or foot and had puncture wounds covering the leg. The Audubon staff first cleaned the wounds and performed fluid therapy on the bird, then brought it to a local veterinarian for X-rays.After five days the eagle was still not using its foot, so it was brought to Tufts University in Medford, Mass., by wildlife rehabilitator Mary Beth Kesher. Tufts has an extensive wildlife clinic. The eagle completed its rehabilitation there, and was then brought back for release.