Finger Lakes Raptor Center, Inc.

05/26/2026

In late August, 2024, a falconer friend that works at a local landfill contacted me to tell me about a juvenile Peregrine Falcon that had flown through the methane flare and was badly singed. He offered to take her directly to the Janet L Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell. I had him do that so the Falcon could get immediate veterinary care. She spent a week and a half in hospital before coming to FLRC for rehab. This Falcon was banded and I learned that she was banded in May 2024 in Reston, VA, age 25 days. This Falcon was going to be in rehab a long time as a complete molt was required, then specialized flight and hunting training that I knew I could not adequately do at FLRC. I contacted my friend Tim Gallagher, a master falconer with lots of Peregrine Falcon experience, and asked for his help in evaluating and conditioning this Falcon. Of course he helped her and you can read all about it in the attached Substack article.

Her flight feathers were destroyed when she flew through a methane flare at a landfill. Today, a year and a half after I began rehabilitating her, I successfully released her back to the wild.

05/20/2026

This beautiful adult female Red-tailed Hawk was released Sunday in Lindley, NY, near where she was found. On March 27 New York State Police received a call about an injured Hawk next to I-99 in Lindley. State Police contacted the DEC for assistance in picking up the Hawk. ECO Parker responded, contained the Hawk, and transported her to licensed rehabber Marsha Zgola. Marsha cared for the Hawk overnight and transported her to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell the next morning for veterinary care. Marsha contacted me to let me know about the Hawk and that she was concerned about her condition. She was treated by the wildlife vets for a cracked bill and multiple ruptured air sacks. Birds have very complex respiratory systems and these ruptured air sacks caused air to leak into various places in her body. Radiographs also revealed a previously broken leg which had already healed. On April 14 the Wildlife Hospital transferred the Hawk to FLRC for continued care. It was a process of more rest, then very slow introduction to exercise. She eventually regained her strength and endurance until she was ready to be released. We are thankful to our state agencies that help wildlife, the veterinarians and staff at the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell, and other local rehabbers being available to assist this bird. We wish her a long, and impact free, life in the wild. Her release video will be in the comments.

05/07/2026

We usually post about a bird being released after a successful rehab. The brief time we worked with this Bald Eagle can be classified as successful, but the outcome is much different. If you don’t like a sad story, keep scrolling.
I was contacted last Saturday about a Bald Eagle along the shore of Lake Ontario in Williamson, NY. I contacted the property owner, Jim, to get details and started formulating a plan. Another rehabber had tried to catch this Eagle a week prior, but was unable to capture him. He was obviously blind in the left eye, so we were sure it was the same bird. I called ECO Rich and asked for assistance. Before he could arrive, Jim told him the Eagle had flown away. Then I got a call that the Eagle was there so I drove up. ECO Rich could no longer assist, but called ECO Michalet who met us there. After several flights by the Eagle, Jim was in a position to get a net on him and ECO Michalet was able to get the Eagle out of the net and into my crate. They were at the bottom of a 10’ cliff. It’s always a challenge to capture a flighted bird, but it was obvious that this Eagle was not in good condition. I examined him when I got home and in addition to his white opaque left eye, his jaw under that was obliterated and full of necrotic tissue and puss. I stopped right there and contacted The Janet L Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University to make arrangements to bring him right in. The vet found numerous injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. The white opaque eye I saw was actually the lens as the eyelids and outside surface of the eye were no longer present. The jaw damage was extensive and not repairable. He had a broken leg and broken toe and damage to the carpal (wrist) area of both wings. He was thin, no doubt unable to eat since breaking his jaw. He was euthanized in the most humane way possible. As sad as this is, it makes this a success story because the vet was able to end the tremendous suffering that this Eagle had to endure. I did learn more about this particular Eagle’s story. He had a federal band on his right leg and a blue color band on his left leg. They looked brand new which was unusual to see on an adult bird. The federal band information can be checked online, but it was not in the system yet. I contacted the DEC to get information on the blue color band and found out this Eagle had been captured last Halloween in Erie county, unable to stand. It was rehabbed at The SPCA Serving Erie County for a spinal injury and released where he was found on January 6 of this year. The Ba**er estimated his (actually the s*x was not determined) age at eight years.

04/01/2026

These four birds were released Sunday after being rehabbed at FLRC. The Ring-billed Gull had just come in the day before. He was stunned by possibly hitting a light pole in a parking lot. He had no other injuries and made a quick recovery. The first Red-tailed Hawk flew through a glass window in early January and sustained significant head and eye trauma. He made a full recovery. The second Red-tailed Hawk came in last fall when he was transferred to us by the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell. He had a broken bone in a wing and West Nile Virus. He was fully recovered by early winter, but winter this year was so harsh, we kept him until spring. The red phase Eastern Screech Owl was found on a doorstep in mid February during extremely cold weather. He was taken to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell and treated for mild trauma and parasites, then transferred to FLRC. Please click on each photo to see their release video in the comments.

02/19/2026

This Red-throated Loon was found on a snowbank in Watkins Glen, NY. He was taken to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell for evaluation. No injuries were found and he was transferred to Finger Lakes Raptor Center for release. Loons have legs located at the end of their large body. This is great for diving for fish, but makes it almost impossible to walk on land and they cannot take flight from land. Lake Erie is frozen. Lake Ontario is 35-40% frozen. Most lakes in central and western New York are frozen. Seneca Lake remains open. We have released several Loons and Grebes this year here as they had nowhere else to go.

02/11/2026

02/08/2026

It’s Superb Owl Sunday! These are four Owl species we have had in rehab so far this year.

01/27/2026

Update on the male Belted Kingfisher we took in Friday after a window strike - he was released today! Thank you to the veterinarians and staff at the Janet L Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell for their help with this bird. His radiographs were normal, ruling out a feared coracoid fracture. He did have blood in his glottis, an opening behind his tongue leading to his trachea. Antibiotics were administered to prevent pneumonia due to blood in his respiratory system. He was also treated for intestinal parasites and head trauma. He responded very well to treatment and was in excellent body condition. Because this is such a high stress species of bird, it was decided to let him go home as soon as possible. His release video will be in the comments.

01/24/2026

We took in three very different birds yesterday, a Common Loon, Belted Kingfisher, and Great Horned Owl. The Loon had been found down next to a road in an area of NY that most likely does not have a large body of open water. Loon’s feet are set way back on their body, great for diving after fish, but not good for walking on land. Loons need at least a quarter mile of open water to use as a runway in order to take off. The Loon was taken to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell for evaluation. It did have a laceration over its right shoulder blade, but not bad enough to require extended care. It was in great body condition and the vet thought it best to release it. We have a lot of open water on Seneca Lake so the Loon was transferred to us for release. The Belted Kingfisher came to us after striking a window and not being able to fly. We suspect a coracoid fracture and took the Kingfisher to Cornell for vet care. The Great Horned Owl was transferred to us from the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell. It was found in a Duck pen at the end of October and taken to the Wildlife Hospital. It has required extended vet care for various ailments and has not enjoyed being in captivity. The photo says it all, this bird is a handful! So far it is doing well in a large flight cage.

01/17/2026

We have had several Cooper’s Hawks in our care this winter. Cooper’s Hawks are medium sized hawks native to North America. They are found in mixed deciduous forests and open woodlots, including small woodlots. They mostly feed on birds. They sit on a concealed perch, wait, and quickly swoop down to seize prey. You may have seen a Cooper’s Hawk near your bird feeders. Sometimes they end up in high speed chases and end up colliding with a building or some other structure. We don’t know for sure, but it is believed that is what happened to these two Cooper’s Hawks. They were transferred to us from the Janet L Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell in mid December. The larger Hawk (presumed female) on the right was found at the base of an industrial building in Auburn, NY. The smaller Hawk (presumed male) on the left was found under a porch in Trumansburg, NY. After spending a few weeks at FLRC where they had lots of flight practice in a large flight cage, they were ready to return to the wild. Both hawks were released on January 7, the Auburn Hawk in nearby suitable habitat, and the Trumansburg Hawk in the woodlot next to the porch where he was found.