Rising from the Ashes

In the midst of Saturday night's Sugar Grove plane crash that regretfully claimed the lives of two Florida men, stood the remnants of a large hawk. Phoenix, as she is now known, is believed to be a female Red-tailed Hawk that miraculously survived the fireball which engulfed her while she was sleeping in a tree near the crash site.

Burned beyond positive species identification, Phoenix was recovered by Kane County Animal Control and was promptly transferred to Flint Creek Wildlife for emergency care. Since that time four nights ago, she has been receiving around-the-clock care for her injuries.


She has demonstrated an inspiring spirit and resilience. Although her recovery time will be long, Phoenix stands a good chance of making a full recovery and being released back to the wild to soar once again.

Please keep her in your thoughts and visit our website at http://www.flintcreekwildlife.org/ if you are able to contribute to help offset the costs of her care.

Our sincerest appreciation to Kane County Animal Control and the sheriff's deputy who first spotted Phoenix standing in the snow near the plane wreckage.

Dawn

Love of a Lifetime

As I loosened my grip, he turned a looked at me, wings outspread. I wished him good luck.

He turned away and flew towards some nearby houses, landing in a dense grouping of trees. He disappeared from sight.

From the south she came flying towards the tree. She landed inside the dense foliage also disappearing from sight. She soon emerged and flew to the top of a nearby telephone pole.

He followed, briefly alighting on a vent pipe and then following her to the telephone pole. There they stood side by side.

She left the telephone pole, kee-eee-aaring, a joyous call beckoning him to follow. They had been reunited.

He had left her three months earlier after having been shot and almost dying from blood loss. His will to live was undeniable. Now through his will they have been given another chance.

"All my life through, the new sights of nature made me rejoice like a child." Marie Curie

Red-tailed Hawk Release

Below are photos from the first of two Red-tailed Hawks that we released today. This Red-tailed Hawk was brought to Flint Creek Wildlife's Barrington location by Palatine Animal Control. It was found down in a suburban yard.

Based on eye color and small size, we believe that this Red-tailed Hawk is a male - approximately 5 years old. Upon admission, he was in moderately low condition with a wing injury.
He came from a rather crowded area and, although we might have preferred another location, he needed to go home where he'd been surviving all these years. His release was uneventful as he flew strongly to a nearby tree and proceeded to survey the area.

Good luck, be strong and good hunting!

Flint Creek WIldlife Rehabilitation's Education Birds at Itasca's National Night Out Celebration

05-11, a Red-tailed Hawk, and Junior, a Great Horned Owl, appeared at Itasca's National Night Out Event. Both birds were a big hit among the event's many attendees.



National Night Out focuses on crime and drug prevention. The Itasca Police Department, Itasca Fire Department, Health World and many other important groups were featured at the event.



I do regret to report that Junior Great Horned Owl was arrested at the event for illegal mouse trafficking. He was booked, printed, his mug shot taken, and he and his handler were put behind bars. Fortunately, we promptly made bail and were released.

05-11 posed in an Itasca police car. We didn't let 05-11 drive the car despite her repeated requests.






All j0king aside, we hope that you enjoy the pictures!







Signed,




One Handler Happy to be Out of Jail