Falcon!!

[Leorgathar]

So one of the cleaning staff at work found a falcon outside of her house and brought it to the office! :gasp: According to her it was being bullied by some dogs, but she managed to save it on time. So here it is:

http://s531.photobucket.com/component/Download-File?file=%2Falbums%2Fdd351%2FLeorgathar%2Fimage_z psk4gup5af.jpeg

I'm not sure of what species it is exactly, or where it might have come from, but I guess it's endangered, so I'm looking about contacting a wildlife conservation group here and see where to take it. I contacted Azerane about it and she suggested that I look for a vet to check on it (the fact that it was found with dogs teasing it is concerning), and I found a vet specialized in wild animals, so I'll go see her tomorrow.

http://s531.photobucket.com/component/Download-File?file=%2Falbums%2Fdd351%2FLeorgathar%2Fimage_z psgfgl8djx.jpeg

For the time being it's staying at my place, in our internal garden (which is less stressful than a cage, I guess). I had a look at how it behaved when feeding it, and its left wing doesn't open as much as its right, lacking a few feathers, but other than that it seems pretty healthy. At least it can eat scraps of raw meat without trouble.
I should have more information tomorrow, but I'll make sure to hand it over to the right people to rehabilitate it and hopefully set it free :)

[Azerane]

Any word on this little one yet? Left wing might have a break in it, but could also just be a sprain as well. I'm glad you were able to find a vet that specialises in wildlife too.

A quick browse online of falcon and similar species didn't bring up a bird that looked just like yours. I suspect it may be a younger bird in juvenile or immature plumage, which makes it harder to ID without a proper guide for the region. Whatever the case though, they all eat pretty much the same things :P Small mammals, insects, birds and reptiles.

[cleargreenwater]

That is awesome :D I mean, not awesome that it's hurt, but how cool is it to see one up close like that?

[KanuTGL]

^ That's exactly what I was about to say, haha :lol:

How is it doing now? :)

[Leorgathar]

It's doing pretty well, actually :) today I fed it raw grinded meat and it seems to accept it very enthusiastically (I'm trying not to overfeed it though, since I don't know its limits). Sometimes it opens its wings when taking food, and today it seemed to open the left wing better than before, which I reckon is a good sign.

The vet had to reschedule the appointment for today, but I'll be taking it with her in a few hours. She said I should keep it in a dark and quiet place not to stress it, and to cover its cage with a cloth when I transport it to the clinic. I can't really control the light in the garden it is right now, but at least it's pretty quiet in there, and I think it's open enough for it not to feel so stressed.

It also makes a good spot for photos:

http://s531.photobucket.com/component/Download-File?file=%2Falbums%2Fdd351%2FLeorgathar%2Fimage_z pskp9qvduv.jpeg

http://s531.photobucket.com/component/Download-File?file=%2Falbums%2Fdd351%2FLeorgathar%2Fimage_z psxiq6khr6.jpeg

I still don't know its gender, but judging by some comparisons we found online, considering the size and markings, I'm thinking that it might be male. My sister went ahead and named it 'Rocko', so I guess that'll stick for now, haha :p

Bonus picture of my dog, Tory, checking out our new friend:

http://s531.photobucket.com/component/Download-File?file=%2Falbums%2Fdd351%2FLeorgathar%2Fimage_z psaoviedsy.jpeg

[Guntur]

:lol: I thought you were doing Falconry, Leor XD.

Glad that people looking up for injured animal and taking care of them, I would love to have birds of prey as a pet but I rather have them in the wild or at least make 'em learn to make a house in my area.

[Kirauni]

That's really exciting! Thanks for sharing those pictures with us. I really hope the little fellow is going to be finde and I'm curious what the vet will say. It's so great that you managed to help the little one. All the best for you two and keep us informed, please! :D

[Leorgathar]

Alright, so here's an update on the falcon situation:
I took it to the vet this past saturday, and it seems we have good news. The wing is not badly injured, no dog bite or fracture. It's just missing some feathers (it probably got caught somewhere). And the feather roots seem to be fine, so it may grow some of them back.
It won't be able to fly as high as before, though, the wing may not regain the same dynamics it used to have, but at least it'll get to fly again, which was so relieving to hear :)
I also learned that I should feed it quail or rabbit meat, which I can get easily at some stores it seems, and that it's better if it has bone it can tear from.

I showed the vet pictures of the place we're keeping it in, and she said it's ok to keep it there and watch it as it recovers the ability to fly, helping it by placing some more sticks or structures higher for it to reach eventually. Then, when the time comes, well... we'll have to release it in the wild where it belongs.
There are various reasons for this, as you can imagine, and I believe it'll be the best path to take, but one of the main reasons is that it's not exactly legal to own one of these birds as a pet. As endeared as my family is with Rocko, it's still a wild species, and it's only responsible to eventually set it free. (It's taking some convincing, actually, especially towards my dad and my sister, who don't like the idea much >< but we'll get there).

Anyway, here's a short video of me feeding Rocko with chopsticks :p


https://twitter.com/leorgathar/status/848208629111021568

[Azerane]

That's great news about the wing! :)

The only concern with release would be how well wing muscles were strengthened given there's not a tonne of room to fly there, but could be fine :) A perch at either end of the space could be good for little flights back and forth.

I suspect quail would be better than rabbit, if only because you could give whole quail (feathers and all) so that Rocko would have to work for the meat and maintain those feeding skills. Plus ingesting the small bones could be important for health as opposed to bits of rabbit bone which could be too big. Some small falcons like that also eat large insects, so you could even try feeding crickets as an additional little treat :)