Bitter-sweet return home for Cooper's Hawk

A young Cooper's Hawk was in the early stages of learning to fly when he fell from his nest near the intersection of Cook Street and Pandora Avenue in Victoria. He was admitted to the BC SPCA Wild ARC on July 7.

A week later an adult female Cooper’s Hawk, who turned out to be his mother, was rushed to Wild ARC after she was hit by a car. Sadly, only one was able to return home.

A juvenile Cooper's Hawk

The intersection is a familiar location for Wild ARC staff who also found a young hawk in the same area last year under similar circumstances. This bird of prey was successfully reintroduced back into his nest.

This year's baby was slightly dehydrated but otherwise in good condition. After a few days of feeding, he was ready to be returned to his nest. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to find his mother waiting for him. The adult female's left wing was fractured so badly it could never be repaired and the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize the bird to prevent prolonged suffering.

Staff noticed that this female hawk had been previously banded, the process of applying a metallic band to the leg with a unique identification number, by local wildlife biologist Andy Stewart. Stewart was then notified of her death and mentioned that he knew the bird well. He also confirmed that she was the mother of the young male hawk missing from its nest and already in Wild ARC's care.

Reintroduction of young hawk

The young male hawk was returned to his nesting tree by Stewart and Wild ARC rehabilitator, Melanie Gordon on July 13. He successfully reintegrated with his family and now relies on his father to provide for his needs.

A bitter-sweet return home...

The BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) rescues and rehabilitates thousands of wild animals each year. Your gift can help give an orphaned or injured animal a second chance. Please donate today.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.