A red-tailed hawk, a red-shouldered hawk and two yellow-legged Cooper’s hawks flew back to freedom on Saturday, released by people who care enough about them to help sponsor their recovery at the Orange County Bird of Prey Center.
The freeing occurred at the center where the raptors have been recovering for at least a month. Each bird had been found after sustaining some sort of injury or having an illness, said Dr. Scott Weldy, the wildlife veterinarian who has cared for sick and injured raptors and birds since 1990 and who founded the center.
“They needed a restart,” he said, adding that Cooper’s hawks are known as “crazy suicide divers” when they’re hunting their prey. “They hit things and get knocked out. None of these guys had fractures; they were just debilitated for one reason or another.”
Raptors are identified by their grasping feet with sharp talons, hooked upper beaks, and eyes with binocular vision. These birds help maintain the natural balance by feeding on rodents, reptiles, insects and other prey. State and federal laws protect them.
Eleven-year-old Lulu Vallejo of Fullerton releases a Cooper’s hawk, one of four rehabilitated raptors donors set free from OC Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on..Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. The bird suffered head trauma after striking a window in Lake Forest and was in rehab since August 9. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
C. Todd Davis came all the way from Oregon to release a red-tailed hawk after sponsoring its recovery at the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on..Saturday, Oct., 2024. The bird was found on the side of the freeway and rehabilitated at the center. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A rehabilitated red-tailed hawk hits the road after being released near Oso Lake in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Children get to see and touch raptor wings, including 1-year-old Julia Breaux, as they learn about birds of prey in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Luz Spencer gets to examine a hawk’s wing during a raptor release t the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Four rehabilitated birds were set free near Oso Lake. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jax Spencer, left, and Ace Potter, both 9, from Alhambra, release a Cooper’s hawk at the Orange County Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. The bird was taken to the center on August 28 after being found on a car with abraisions and a head injury. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ann Robinson releases a rehabilitated red-shouldered hawk while Randy Ostendorf watches at the Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bird of Prey volunteer Janet Gonzalez holds Dulce, a 17-year-old “ambassador” red-tailed hawk used for teaching the public about the species. Four rehabilitated birds were released in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dulce, a 17-year-old red-tailed hawk is used as an ambassor fro teaching the public about the species. Dulce is seem at the Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. Red-tailed hawks can live 30 to 40 years in captivity. Dulce is unsuitable for release because the bird is comfortable around humans. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A rehabilitated raptor enjoys its freedom as it soars over the hills after being released near Oso Lake in Mission Viejo on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Cooper’s hawk, zips past 11-year-old Lulu Vallejo of Fullerton, after she releases it at OC Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on Saturday, October 19, 2024. The bird suffered head trauma after striking a window and was in rehabilatation since August 9. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Eleven-year-old Lulu Vallejo of Fullerton releases a Cooper’s hawk, one of four rehabilitated raptors donors set free from OC Bird of Prey Center in Mission Viejo on..Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. The bird suffered head trauma after striking a window in Lake Forest and was in rehab since August 9. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
When the public or animal control finds these injured birds, they are first taken to Weldy’s Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Lake Forest, where they are treated. Once out of critical condition, they are transferred to the Bird of Prey Center, where they’re given time to heal and strengthen. The center is on about 2 acres near Cook’s Corner, bordering the Cleveland National Forest.
“We fix them up and get them back in shape,” Weldy said.
Most birds require a month-long treatment, which costs about $1,000, Weldy said, and this is where the caring public comes in. People — wildlife enthusiasts and others — sponsor the patients. Then, when they’re ready to get set loose, they can come and set them free.
Weldy said the birds are mostly released in the areas they’re found in to return to their lives and the habitats they know.
Weldy said no birds were taken in during the recent wildfires. However, the center has rehabilitated and released 170 raptors this year, said Dan Goldbacher, the center’s recently hired executive director.
Birds that have been rehabilitated but are too injured to return to nature become ambassadors for their species and the center. They are taken to local schools and events around Orange County to teach the public more about them and their habitat. There are 10 birds now, including female red-tailed hawks, a great horned owl, a western screech owl and an American kestrel.
This outreach helps the nonprofit center fund its day-to-day operations. Much of the care for the birds at the center is done by volunteers.
