High in the hills above Ventura, a young red-tailed hawk took its first flight in the wild on Oct. 6 after weeks at an Ojai rehabilitation center.
The hawk – a male juvenile dubbed 26-597 – was one of hundreds of patients at the Ojai Raptor Center this year. Initially rescued in the Bakersfield area in Kern County, he was found emaciated, with sores on his feet, scrapes above his beak and badly tattered feathers, said Chris Eksteen, the Ojai center's executive director.
What led to his condition was unknown, but officials said the injuries were consistent with someone trying to care for him in a small cage or enclosure before just letting the young bird go. In Ojai, he spent 47 days at the raptor center, getting treatment for injuries, including
receiving healthy donor feathers, and honing his hawk skills.
That included logging time in the center's largest flight enclosure. At 233 feet, the J-shaped enclosure is one of the longest in California and allows the rehab to see how a bird handles flying, including around corners.
"This bird is such a successful live hunter," Eksteen said.
The last three weeks, the hawk would only eat live prey, something Eksteen described as a good sign the bird would survive in the wild.
On Tuesday morning, Eksteen, Melissa Baffa, executive director of the Ventura Land Trust, and a few others took the hawk to the top of a steep hill in the trust's Ventura Hills Nature Preserve, roughly 1,645 acres off Hall Canyon Road with sweeping views of Ventura and the Channel Islands.
With an adult hawk, the raptor center would return the bird to the area near where the raptor was found. But a juvenile would have to compete for his position in any location, Eksteen said. The Ventura Hills preserve provided open space full of small prey for a young raptor, enough roosting spots and wide open areas for hunting, he said.
"This is perfect for them," he said.
In a quick flutter of wings, the hawk made a speedy exit from a box, taking a few short flights and hops along the top of nearby hill. After perching for several seconds, seeming to check out the new surroundings, he moved a bit farther away before flying off.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ojai Raptor Center releases young hawk, once found emaciated, injured
