Some of the birds SOAR was able to release in 2011:
December 30, 2011
A Cooper's hawk came in on the 29th and released the next day... a safe place to "shake off" the headache of hitting a picture window was all this bird needed.
December 24, 2011
The 12/13 bald eagle that was caught in a leg-hold trap in Wright County was released near where she was found in hopes that she would find her mate...
December 19, 2011
A short stay for a sharp-shinned hawk in on the 16th and off on the 19th!
November 5, 2011
The 10/27 trumpeter swan was released at the Buena Vista Swan Area.
October 22, 2011 - juvenile bald eagle
Over 140 folks, including Raptor Resource Project (RRP) supporters from three states, joined SOAR Executive Director Kay Neumann and volunteers at Phelps Park in Decorah to release a juvenile female bald eagle that was rescued near the town a short five weeks earlier. All the good samaritans involved in the rescue, Winnishiek County Deputy Leon Bohr, reporting party Dr. Paul Ostlie, Bob Anderson with RRP, and Dean and Mike Loney, were also present. Mike Loney had the honor of releasing this juvenile.
The photos below was received from Joyce Meyer who traveled to the release from nearby Spillville!
October 14, 2011 - sharp-shinned hawk
This male hatch-year sharpy was received from the Polk County area on 9/19/11 and needed some time to recover and build strength was released.
October 4, 2011 - great-horned owls
Christina with Shelby/Audubon County Conservation Board and one rescuer released two great-horned owls. One was received from Marion County in August with a slight wrist injury and the second owl was rescued from a barbed-wire fence in Audubon County.
September 17, 2011 - red-tailed hawk
This 2010 hold-over patient needed to regrow flight feathers before physical therapy could begin. This bird was released back in Pottawattamie County.
August 2, 2011 - male American kestrel
One of the two 6/24 kestrels was ready to go!
July 2, 2011 - red-tailed hawk
One of the 6/10 red-tails was released.
June 30, 2011 - screech owls
Two of the horde of hatch-year screech owls were released at Whiterock Conservency. Photo at right is one just after being released.
June 20, 2011 - screech owl
The 6/12 owl from Buena Vista County was released.
June 19, 2011 - red-tailed hawk
This 6/28 red-tail gained back weight and was released. The old (and healed) fracture did not cause any flight problems.
June 18, 2011 - Swainson's hawk
This 4/21 hawk was released at a wedding!
June 12, 2011 - red-tailed hawk
This April 25 patient had a fractured leg. After healing and time in the flight pen, was released.
June 5, 2011 - red-tailed hawk
This hawk was found in Buena Vista County on May 12 and was very thin with a possible injury to a shoulder. After a couple days in ICU and the remainder in a flight pen regaining strength. This hawk was released as part of the grand opening ceremony for the Sac County Conservation Board.
June 5, 2011 - two great-horned owls
These two Adair County owls lost their nest tree in early April when it was cut down. After some time in ICU, these two finished their "owl education" with the education great-horned owls at SOAR.
May 28, 2011 - great-horned owl
This adult owl was brought in from Woodbury County with eye and head injuries. Even though this bird was eating, she remained thin. Often this can be caused by having intestinal parasites. She was wormed and stayed in ICU until she began to gain weight. Was she had regained weight, regaining strength in flight was easy. After a couple weeks in the flight pen, she was released at a celebration of life at a rural Calhoun County Township Cemetary for an elderly man who had a passion for owls.
May 15, 2011 - trumpeter swan
This female trumpeter came to SOAR December 2010 not wanting or able to put weight on her left foot. Since swans need to use both feet to paddle across the water to help them get lift as they take off to fly...she needed some rehab time. We never really did know what was wrong (that happens quite a bit with patients you can't carry on a two-way conversation), but by April she was putting weight evenly on both feet. The next step for her recovery was to go down to the pond on SOAR property to practice. That had to wait until the wild Canada goose nest had hatched! The swan was walked (herded) down the path to the pond.
May 6, 2011 - male peregrine falcon
This blond, hatch-year male peregrine with no bands was received in September 2010. He is migratory and his very light color is an indication of a tundra sub-species, so is likely from Canada. He had a bruised and swollen wing, with a non-compound fracture of the radius/ulna. Even though his wing was healed and he had time in the flight pen before winter set in...because he is a migratory species...he was moved to a more weatherproof flight pen, which is smaller, so he again needed time in the larger flight pen this spring before he could be released.
Shawn Schossow, son of SOAR volunteer Shelly Schossow, released this falcon during biology class at Rockwell City Lytton High School.
May 5, 2011 - American kestrel, male
This February patient had a broken right tibia-tarsus that healed and after some recovery in the flight pen this boy was released at SOAR.
April 19, 2011 - redtail hawk
This January patient recuperated from a leg sprain and was released at the Iowa Western Community College Earth Day celebration.
April 16, 2011 - redtail hawk
This December patient had a wrist sprain and was released in Rockwell City.
April 14, 2011 - osprey
This Sioux County osprey regrew her primary feathers while overwintering at SOAR. With osprey having returned to the area, it was time for her to go!
April 10, 2011 - grey phase screech owl
After recovering from a head and shoulder injury, this owl was released during the Pelican Festival in Lake View. (Admitted 1/13/11).
March 20, 2011 - turkey vulture
This bird's fractured radius/ulna healed after vultures had migrated south from the area. The TV had to spend the winter at SOAR until vultures were spotted back in the area.
March 5, 2011 - bald eagle
This 2010 hatch year eagle was brought in from Carroll County with a concussion
October 14, 2011 - sharp-shinned hawk
June 30, 2011 - screech owls
species...he was moved to a more weatherproof flight pen, which is smaller, so he again needed time in the larger flight pen this spring before he could be released.