Written by
The Varnedoes
Louise was walking the dogs on Willow Drive Thursday, September 11th, 2014, about 5:30 pm. On Willow Drive she spotted a hawk sitting on one side of the road. He seemed wounded, in that he did not respond or attempt to move away or fly. She came home and got Bill. We drove to that location, and the bird was still there, but now standing in the middle of the road. We stopped, also in the road with our blinkers on. I tried to get him to move off of the road, but again, he would not move. He would raise his left wing as if to fly and try to raise his right one, but he obviously could not raise it but an inch or so. I got a small stick and tried to get him to move off of the road, but in the end, I sort of pushed him off over by the mailbox. His head would follow me about, but still no attempt to move. Not being able to do anything further, we went home and called Jon Alquist, an ornithologist friend of ours. He gave us several possible numbers to call, including The North Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (256-883-0667) and also a friend of his. His friend contacted this Rehab center and a lady from them called me. I gave her directions to Willow Drive and she came to pick up the Hawk. We drove to the location to meet her and show her the exact spot where we left him. However, the hawk was not there. By then it was dark, and although we used flashlights to search the road and nearby woods, we could not find him. We contacted the man at the house by whose mailbox we last saw the Hawk, and he joined the search. Alas, still no luck. The Rehab lady gave him her number, in case the bird showed up later. The next day, in daylight, the man found the Hawk, still disabled, in the woods. He called the rehab center, and this same lady came promptly. She got the hawk and carried him to one of their veterinarians. She promised to keep us all, the Varnedoes’, Jon Alquist and his friends, informed of his fate.