Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center

Dreams Come True for Eight-Year Old

By Carol Holmgren & Roberta Levine

The school day had ended and eight-year old Emily Mowery waited impatiently for her mother to stop talking with her teacher. She wanted her mother to hurry up so they could watch Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center's presentation to the Environmental Club. The presenter had brought four live birds of prey to the school. Finally, Emily and her mother joined the group. They heard the story of how birds' had been hurt and what had been done to help them recover: Emily was relieved to hear that there was a special place where injured wildlife could get help. At the end of the talk, Emily wanted to see the birds up close. Standing near them was a dream come true.

A few months later that lesson in wildlife rehabilitation bore fruit. On September 17, riding home with her mother; Emily spotted a large bird hopping by the side of the road. It was a hawk! And it couldn't fly! Emily told her mother; "That bird is hurt.We can help it:'

Emily's mother resourcefully used her cell phone to contact a rehabilitator who gave her tips on how to safely capture the bird, and suggested they take the bird to the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for medical care.

Emily's mother; wearing a dress and high heels,got out of the car and walked closer to the hawk to check if it actually needed help. The bird behaved oddly. Instead of flying off, it hopped first into the ditch and then up a steep embankment. She noticed that one wing drooped down lower than the other one. Clearly, the bird was in trouble, but she couldn't catch it wearing a dress and heels.

Fortunately they were almost home. Quickly Emily enlisted her father's aid while her mother changed clothes, grabbed a blanket, and a large box.

Emily's parents wisely instructed her to stay in the truck while they tried to capture the bird. Soon her father returned to the truck with a bundle in his arms. It was the hawk! Her parents had thrown a blanket over the bird before stowing him in a large box.The hawk could now be taken to Tamarack. Emily and her three-year old sister dubbed the hawk "Big Bird:'

When Tamarack personnel evaluated the bird, they told Emily that "Big Bird" was a male immature red tail hawk with a fractured wing. The bird was so vigorous however that after only a couple of weeks in a splint, his wing knitted back together:

Regular updates kept Emily informed about Big Bird's status. He proved to be an eager eater; and soon was moved to larger quarters so he could begin to exercise his healing wing.

Today Emily knows Big Bird is in the largest flight building, where he continues to heal and gain strength. Over the winter he will stay at Tamarack. Come spring, when it will be easier for a young, inexperienced hunter to find food, he will be released.

On that spring day,Emily hopes to have another dream come true. She wants to watch Big Bird take off and fly back to his natural home.