dead hawk

[peggy]

Well, a hawk just committed suicide by running into our front door. Broke it's neck i suppose. I think it is a red shouldered hawk. Anyway, before i toss this thing into the woods, can anyone think of anyone i should call who might want this thing? For stuffing maybe.

[Gardenarian]

Try a local wildlife sanctuary, Audubon society, conservation programs...my dd's nature science group is always interested in dead animals - might want to try the local schools as well. (Can you keep it in the freezer in the meantime?)
And there's always Craigslist!

[Hattie]

I doubt anyone will want it. Many years ago I discovered a very cute (but dead) small owl at the end of our driveway. My kids were little so I gave them a good chance to look it over. Then I got the bright idea to have it stuffed. We called some taxidermists and they said it would cost a fortune because I would need to send it out to find out what kind of owl it was and why it died. Then I'd have to pay for some fancy schmancy permit to allow a taxidermist to stuff it. He figured we were looking at upwards of $700!!! So I just pulled off some very pretty feathers and tossed the poor little guy in the garbage - such a waste.

[peggy]

Yea, I just called a taxidermist to see if he wanted it and he said technically I should't even touch it, that I needed a permit or something. Well, the thing is on my porch so I'm gonna let the husband get a good look at it then toss it in the woods. Thanks anyway yall.

[Gina]

Call a museum or if you have a university in your area, call the bio/zoo dept. There are often students who want 'road kill' to practice their taxidermy skills. I remember once traveling with a zoo student and she had us stop and collect fresh bird kills, and at night she would practice stuffing them..... :0!

Poor bird. A largish hawk once flew into the back windows here. I thought it was dead at first, but it was only stunned. It sat on the patio for about a half hour and, fearing it was injured, I was wondering who to call. But fortunately it just flew away.

[CathyA]

I say let it go back to the earth.......maybe food for another animal.
It was probably chasing a bird. Please just let it be in peace in a natural setting.

[peggy]

Gina, we did call the university vet school and they couldn't touch it either. Permits and all. Actually this surprised me. I know eagles are protected to an incredible degree (including dead ones) but I didn't realize hawks were. We certainly don't have a shortage of them here.

Cathy, my husband gently laid it just inside the woods. We have a coyote neighbor so maybe he got a surprise meal in this harsh winter. Or maybe one of the other woodland creatures. I think he was chasing a bird. One flew into this same door (could have been the same bird) a few months ago and just sat on the porch about a half hour until he shook it off. This guy really hit hard though. Scared the poop out of my daughter and me. The door isn't flush with the wall of the house, there is a little portico so he mush have been chasing and not paying attention.

[Zzz]

All raptors are protected by law. You can't possess raptors or any raptor parts -- even feathers -- legally. This includes any feathers that you find on the ground that fell from the bird naturally.

[Anne Lee]

ALL non-domestic wildlife is protected by either the US Fish and Wildlife Service and/or your state department of game. All of it. You cannot possess any of it dead or alive without a permit. This includes things like nests and technically feathers and fur. The robin's nest that blew out of the tree in your front yard? Protected. The squirrel that lives in your garage? Protected.Deer antler shed? Protected. You MUST have a permit if you are going to take possession of this stuff.

[goldensmom]

Same thing happened here. I tossed it back to nature and let it recycle itself through decay or as food for a predator.

[CathyA]

Peggy, maybe you should put some of those bird decals up on that door/window. They tend to see those decals lots better than the glass. When a hawk goes after birds (especially near a feeder in the yard), the other birds take off so fast, they sometimes slam into the windows too. But I've never had a hawk run into a window.
My son hit a baby owl one night in his car. It was very sad.

[Float On]

We always take everything to the conservation department. Just from my family alone they have stuffed and used for display maybe 20 different critters.
The latest was an owl last winter. They asked me to keep it in my freezer and then drop it off within 3 weeks. They track everything.

[CathyA]

I know its "good" for education, but I just feel better letting it go back to the earth.
What kind of owl was it Float On? I love owls, and wish we had more of them around here. We had a family of barred owls in our woods one summer, and it was great. They would really get to talking to each other, and it would sound like a jungle! Unfortunately, I think the neighbor with his motocross motorcycle riding through his woods scared them off.
Occasionally I hear a screech owl and a great horned owl, but mostly we have barred owls. Would LOVE to have a barn owl.
Do you live in the woods?

[Float On]

Cathy, yes I live on the edge of the woods and above one lake (former river) and around the corner from a big lake. The latest owl was a screech owl - part of a family of owls we've watched for years. One early morning in our studio we saw something land in the tree right outside the big garage door, we sneaked a peek and it was the daddy owl, pretty soon it was 'swoop, swoop, swoop, swoop, swoop, & swoop'. 5 babies and the mama followed to sit with daddy owl in the tree. Must of been flying lesson day. I hear many different kinds of owls, and we've seen many types but I haven't seen a barn owl here. We did have them up in the north part of the state where I grew up. I remember being in the car late one night with my dad when we pulled up over the hill to the bridge and there were 8 barn owls on the railing of the bridge. We sat there for the longest time watching them.

[CathyA]

Wow Float On......sounds like a great place to live!

[peggy]

I love owls. We've seen a barred owl down at the fen and about a month ago we saw a great horned owl. That was really cool but we don't really want that one to settle around here. They eat other owls along with geese, ducks and heron, all birds we attract to our fen. I'd just as soon see the horned owl as it's passing through, occasionally, and keep our other feathered friends.

[Float On]

Cathy - the area is pretty but in 20 some years here I've always been ready to leave. It lacks community.