Meet my new boy, Littlefoot :) A friend of mine found him emaciated and close to death inside a horse trough at a ranch she works at. She contacted me and I took him in. He was just a skeleton - too weak to fly or even eat. My roommate and I had to force feed him the first night. The next two nights he struggled to keep down his food, but now I think he’s finally in the clear! He’s already showing some signs of imprinting, so I’m excited to see where this goes :)
I’ve also always been curious about training a red-shouldered hawk, so this is the perfect opportunity to test one out. I named him Littlefoot because his feet are so tiny lol. Red-shouldered hawks aren’t traditionally used in falconry (they’re thought to be mostly snake and frog hunters), so there isn’t much information out there on how to train and hunt with them. I don’t know if he’s big enough to take cottontails, but I’ll give it a shot. If not, I think he’d be really fun to fly on small birds! I see wild red-shouldered hawks with birds all the time so I know they can do it. Whatever happens, it will be a really fun learning opportunity.
You are so kindhearted to take him in. I am sure it will be great for the both of you!
