Rescue a Hawk. Lose Power. Enjoy the Flood.

So on Wednesday I was driving around Charles County visiting schools, solving problems, selling School Specialty products and shmoozing. It's what I do. I got to do some birding too. Well, not exactly.

I was driving on Route 6 in the extreme Southwestern portion of Charles County when I noticed this RED SHOULDERED HAWK sitting on the side of the road. I stopped, for there could be a good photo opportunity. Route 6, despite it's rural location, is a rather busy road. The cars on Wednesday were in a bit of a rush. In any case, I got out of the car and walked towards the hawk. It was very happy to be photographed. As I got closer, the hawk still didn't move and that is when I knew something was wrong.

I grabbed a towel (always have one in the car) and an empty School Specialty catalog box and scooped up the injured raptor.

It was now about 2 PM and the weather was about to turn ugly. I called Kent at the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia in Falls Church, Virginia. He answered, "Hey Dan. How's the bird?" Somehow Kent knew I had an injured raptor in my possession. What are the odds?

I drove an hour through some torrential storms in rush hour traffic to get the bird to Ken. The diagnosis, as I suspected, was that the bird was probably hit by a car. There were no serious bone breaks and all of the bird's functions appeared to be okay. It could not stand too well during it's examination. Ken got some fluids into it's system and began treatment. Shock probably best described the bird's situation at that moment. One thing for certain, it wouldn't have survived without some timely first aid.

The sad news is that this hawk was probably one of a mated pair. That means that there are, more than likely, some hungry chicks that need care and feeding. Hopefully the other half of the pair will assume this now larger responsibility. As a new parent, I know a lot a great deal about this subject. If my wife were ever hurt, Declan would sure have a time of it with just me!Oh, the other part of the story: when I returned home Wednesday evening, the power in my home was out and our basement was flooded under four inches of ground water. Today (Friday) the flood finally receded when the power returned. There is nothing better than a battery-powered back up sump pump (brand new) that fails! I saved my guitars. The cases and a lot of other stuff (carpet, furniture, walls, etc) did not fair as well.

PS: If there are grammar errors, it's only b/c I'm in a huge hurry to get back to the mess that is my home!

Have a great week!

Dan