Cornell Hawk Cam

[Kris G.]

All three have fledged but here's an update on E3, who has been injured:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology would first of all like to thank all #CornellHawks chat moderators, cam operators, Tweeters, birders on the ground, chatters and Cornell University staff for their quick action, cooperation and fantastic team work yesterday.

The last Red-tailed Hawk nestling to fledge was E3 on June 14. Unfortunately yesterday morning E3 was injured in an accident. While resting on the roof of one of the Greenhouses over the road from the CornellHawks nest, the automated roof vents began to close. E3 was resting under one of these vents which lowered very slowly. The young bird did not move out of the way and became trapped under the lowering glass catching its right wing. Shortly after the vents closed they opened and Cornell Facilities staff were contacted and immediately responded shutting down the motors to the vents. E3 remained on the roof of the greenhouse for the afternoon, standing, but with the right wing lowered. Victoria, a licensed rehabber and Cornell Lab of Ornithology staff member, arrived on scene just a couple of hours after the event.

Victoria advised that there should be no attempts to capture the bird while it remained on the roof and that it would be best to wait until the bird moved. In the early evening luckily E3 decided to try to fly to a nearby tree, but didn’t quite make it and fell to the ground. Victoria sprang into action, safely capturing the bird. She then took it immediately to the Cornell Wildlife Clinic.

At the clinic both the vet and Victoria looked over the bird. It appeared the juvenile had an injury to its right shoulder. The hawk was given sub-cutaneous fluids and some anti-inflammatory medication. It was decided that an x-ray should be delayed for the following day as they did not wish to stress the bird further. To stabilize the wing it was wrapped up.

Today we have been waiting for results from the x-rays. Victoria heard from the clinic this afternoon. The vets confirm that E3 has a humeral break to the upper wing bone just below the shoulder joint. While this sounds like the worst news it is actually easier to heal in a young bird than a dislocation. E3 will undergo surgery tomorrow to get a better understanding of the break and to pin the bones. Currently it is a guarded but fair prognosis. Dependent on the integrity of the bone the bird has a fair chance of being able to fly. We now await further news from the surgery and will most likely be notified tomorrow afternoon.

E3 is vocalizing regularly at the vets and the staff have fallen in love with him!

Hope all goes well for E3. 

[patsy6]

Indeed!  Thanks for the update, Kris.  I hope all goes well for E3.

[MAK]

Heavy sigh-some good news would be welcome! 

[Donna]

Poor little one!  Speedy recovery!!

[Kris G.]

Today's update on E3:

On Wednesday afternoon, June 18, we received a further update from the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center at Cornell. The vets reassessed E3’s condition and red blood cell count this morning. The count was at a safe value and they proceeded with the surgery. The injury at the fracture site was more severe than expected, based on the x-ray images alone: several bone fragments were present at the fracture site and one of the important flight muscles was partially ruptured. The fracture and the muscle were repaired. E3 did well during the procedure and recovered well. E3 was fully awake, grooming and making calls shortly after the surgery. The prognosis is still guarded at this point. We will have to wait and see if and how the bone heals and if the bone heals if the flight muscles are fully functional. We will keep you posted with any further updates.

[Donna]

What a shame, he was just in a bad spot! 

[patsy6]

Big Red & Ezra make an appearance for Homecoming:

http://t.co/NA784K0Tuy

[Carol P.]

Good news!  Thanks Pat!

Was there ever an update on what happened with E3?

[Kris G.]

Good news!  Thanks Pat!

Was there ever an update on what happened with E3?

Here's the update, Carol:

CornellHawks E3 Update, September 23, 2014

We're happy to update you that in the three months since #E3's injury in June, he has continued to heal steadily under the expert care of veterinarians and staff at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center, and he has spent the last few weeks in rehabilitation with the Cornell Raptor Program, directed by Dr. John Parks.

Dr. Parks reports that aside from the wing fracture, E3 is in good health overall. Because of his young age, he has adjusted fairly quickly to his new aviary. He seems quite comfortable and often lies down on a shelf at his window to sun. His injured wing is held a little abnormally, with the shoulder slightly elevated when perched. To help E3 gain as much use of the wing as possible, the Raptor Program has been encouraging him to extend his wing and fly across the aviary multiple times a day, offering a gloved hand garnished with food. E3 can now fly 10-12 feet. This distance may improve with time, but the prognosis is very poor for him to regain enough flight to sustain himself in the wild. We realize this will come as sad news to those of you who have followed E3's story since the beginning.

The good news is that E3 has adjusted well to life at the Cornell Raptor Program, where he has bonded with his caregivers, and the Wildlife Health Center will continue to provide medical care and follow-up as needed. Given the circumstances, both the Wildlife Health Center and Cornell Lab of Ornithology are delighted that the Raptor Program has agreed to keep E3 as an education bird. He will begin appearing in public education programs around the community beginning this fall. We will keep you posted about E3's activities and progress.
 

Bittersweet but he's in good hands!

[Carol P.]

Thanks for posting the update Kris!

Happy to hear that he survived his injuries and that he is doing well adjusting to his new life.  Although I do wish he had been able to return to the wild.

[patsy6]

Yes, thanks, Kris.  And I echo Carol's sentiments.  It is unfortunate, but I'm grateful for the good people at Cornell.

[PatriciaRose]

Big Red & Ezra make an appearance for Homecoming:

http://t.co/NA784K0Tuy

Nice!