by Calah Beckwith
Wildlife Keeper
It’s not a Bald Eagle or even a wild turkey (Benjamin Franklin’s legendary choice for our national symbol). Today, America’s Independence Day, we received into our care a female American Kestrel nestling. Though she still has a good bit of fluff, this tyke is already sporting some red, white, and blue.
This little girl had been hopping around on the ground for three days with no parents in sight. She is very skinny and dehydrated, but she is spirited! Baby raptors are very difficult to care for, especially when they are all alone. Even during the fledgling stage, these little ones are extremely susceptible to imprinting – just like the American Crow I recently wrote about. We’ll provide similar safeguards – wearing masks and limiting human contact and sounds – to ensure she remains wild and doesn’t become too comfortable with people.
She’s going to get lots of TLC here at VINS, and we’ll keep you updated on her progress.
Happy Fourth of July!
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post. Many thanks for providing these details.