E-mail from hawk rehabber Bobby Horvath has confirmed that the injured female red-tailed hawk fledgling was found on West 114th St. near Morningside Ave., just east of Morningside Park. The fledgling has lead poisoning, and a right foot problem which might be the result of the poisoning or of some trauma. The location seems to make it pretty sure that she is one of the fledges from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. If not then she's a long way from her home nest. Although I have heard one report of both cathedral fledglings being seen Tuesday evening, it's not backed up by a second observer or any photography.
I headed over to the cathedral late Thursday afternoon to see if either fledgling was about. It seemed pretty quiet, but at 5:45 I found Lincoln on Morningside Drive across from the Cathedral School watching a fledgling in a Morningside Park tree. The fledgling was quiet, and so were the birds near-by. I suspect that I wouldn't have found it on my own.
It stayed there until I had to leave at 6:30.
There was a fair amount of sparrow twittering just up Morningside Drive from the fledgling, but in the 45 minutes I couldn't spot any other hawks in the area.
Later in the evening, the fledgling apparently made its way across Morningside Park and perched for a bit on the lower roof of the Towers on the Park at 301 West 110th St. From there it flew into Central Park and went to roost for the night.
were x-rays done to the bird with the paralyzed leg ?
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As that looks like a broken leg to me not lead poisoning.
It may be a case of lead poisoning _and_ a leg injury.
ReplyDeleteBut the lead poisoning can lead to neurological problems, and that might cause the inability to use the foot.