Three red-tailed hawk chicks that were removed from a tree on Purdue's campus this spring are now old enough to be on their own.
A professional wildlife rehabilitator released the last of the hawks above a field on Lafayette's south side Thursday morning.
The other two hawks were released earlier this week, said Carol Blacketer, executive director of the Wildcat Wildlife Center. One was released in Clinton County, the other in western Tippecanoe County.
The third hawk, a juvenile female estimated to be about 6 months old, was released in an area where another female hawk died about two weeks ago after hitting the window of a south side business.
"We've done everything for the hawks that we can possibly do," Blacketer said. "It's time for them to get out and learn how to be a wild hawk."
Back in May, a team of wildlife experts removed the three hawk chicks from a nest in a tree at Purdue Village after a student was struck by one of its parents that had become aggressive protecting them.
They were placed under Blacketer's care at her facility east of Lafayette.
Blacketer used a surrogate hawk inside a 40-foot flight pen to teach the chicks how to hunt. Inside the pen, they also learned how to fly.
When they became old enough, all three were relocated to areas where another red-tailed hawk of similar age had recently died.
Adult hawks, presumably parents of the ones that were killed, had been seen nearby in each case, Blacketer said.
Hawks are territorial, but adult hawks will allow juvenile hawks to be introduced into their territory, Blacketer said.
On Nov. 1, a juvenile female red-tailed hawk flew into the window of the Burger King on County Road 350 South, Blacketer said.
Cheryl Taylor was the manager on duty at the time. "I was walking around outside checking things out as the sun was coming up," she said.
She noticed the bird lying on its back in the garden area. "There was evidence it had hit the window," Taylor said.
The bird was badly injured, but still alive, Taylor said. She called Purdue experts, who put her in touch with Blacketer.
Blacketer received the bird later that day, but it was injured so badly it didn't survive the night, she said.
"It was an identical hawk to this one," she said. "I immediately said, 'There's the little niche that we need to fill with this female.'"
Taylor was happy Thursday to see the young hawk released. She watched as it flew a graceful circle around the field before settling in the brush on the ground.
"I feel like a new parent," Taylor said. "It's like a child taking its first steps."
