BISHOPVILLE, S.C. — A red-tailed hawk is now free after spending nearly a year getting rehabilitated and prepared to go back into the wild. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects migratory bird species by prohibiting the killing, capturing, selling, trading and transport of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the department of interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“They are protected to make sure that they don't become endangered,” Black Creek Wildlife Center Co-Director Tyler Wright shares about red-tailed hawks like Buckshot.
Wright has been working with Buckshot for nearly a year after finding her with a damaged wing near a Bishopville farm.
“Likely she got shot because they had chickens and there's a lot of stigmatisms with red tail hawks around chickens. And they tried to take her out, which was unfortunately, federally illegal. But thankfully we got to her in time so that we could rehab her and now get her released back to the wild,” Wright explains. “We got her to the vet, we got that wing splinted up to where it can heal back. And during that time, they end up losing a good bit of muscle. So once she was finished healing, we couldn't just throw her back up in the air to go about her business because she didn't have the conditioning to go find food because as a predator, finding prey items takes a lot of work and a lot of energy.”
Wright has been using his falconry license to help rehabilitate Buckshot, helping her build muscle in her wing and making sure she can thrive back in the wild on her own.
“Falconry is the process of hunting with birds of prey,” Wright says. “So I transferred her to my falconry license, actually flown her for an entire hunting season, letting her practice catching squirrels to get that muscle condition back and to get her skills back at the same time, so that today once I release her, I know she's gonna do very well on her own.”
Now, Wright says Buckshot is ready for freedom on Cooper Family Farms.
“It was exciting to be a part of this bird’s story,” Chanda Cooper smiles, sharing her excitement to have the bird released on her farm. “We know that birds of prey are such an important part of the ecosystem and of the food web. So we're really glad to have her be a part of the food chain here on the farm.”
Now that Wright has released her, after making sure her strength was fully back and she was capable of finding food on her own.
“It's kind of a sweet and sour moment. You put all that effort into them and you really appreciate having that connection helping a wild animal get back out into the wild. But I can relish in the fact knowing that we did everything humanly possible to make sure she has the best chance possible once she takes off,” Wright says. “For us to change the world for that one individual animal is amazing. And then you know, within our whole rehabilitation center, over a year of rehabilitating 400 animals plus, you know, it makes a big impact on our local community.”
This is an accomplishment that Black Creek Wildlife Center works for with all different kinds of animals while educating the public about the importance of protecting animals.
“It's important to help people understand this because we are grown up and taught things that can be completely wrong about wildlife, from our parents, from our grandparents. And then when you finally learn that that's not the case, it kind of opens up a whole new world,” Wright tells me. “And now instead of looking at this hawk as this evil monster, they can say, ‘Wow, this beautiful bird I don't really have to be as worried about as I thought I would.’ And then you know, then appreciation starts from there, and then they want to help and protect those animals as well.
Wright says he is currently working with three other migratory birds at the nonprofit wildlife center, which recently opened its satellite campus to serve the Bishopville community.