Every year about this time, Rough-legged Hawks arrive in Wyoming and surrounding states. They breed and live half their lives above the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada. They show up in this area about mid October and stay until mid March.
Unfortunately this handsome little fellow, AUSTIN, encountered something he never saw in his young life, a bullet. Most of the roughies I get in have been hit by a car or truck as they eat on roadkill or are just flying across the highway. In AUSTIN's case it was someone who decided to shoot him.
He has a hole in his chest with the pellet still there and also another one in his right leg. He probably broke his left wing in the fall. He's in pretty good shape and will undergo surgery on Monday to repair the fracture.
Thanks to the caring homeowners he was brought here right after being found. Now I have my fingers crossed that he'll be ready for release before time to head North.
GERRRRRR This makes me so angry, that I can hardly see straight. We have a lot of these around our house, and to think that someone would purposely shoot one of these wonderful hawks, is so hard for me to understand.
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