Finger Lakes Raptor Center, Inc.

08/09/2026

This immature Great Blue Heron was found in a yard with a small pond, unable to fly. It was emaciated and full of parasites. Young Great Blue Herons are known to wander away from their nest area a few weeks after fledging. This Heron picked an area without the resources to sustain it. After evaluation and treatment for parasites at the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell, this Heron returned to FLRC for lots of foraging practice and lots of food. Within a few days it was energetic and capable of flying, as well as being a pro at catching fish. This young Heron was released in an area that has the appropriate habitat to support its needs.

08/04/2026

Early on the morning of July 19, I started receiving phone calls about an Osprey standing in front of the Dollar Tree at Liberty Plaza in Seneca Falls, NY. There had been strong storms the night before and it is believed this young Osprey was blown out of its nearby nest. Within minutes, Sgt Kidd of the Seneca Falls Police Department was on the scene, secured the Osprey, and transported it to FLRC. The young Osprey was in good body condition and did not have any injuries. The Osprey spent a few days in our big flight cage practicing flying and gaining strength for higher flights. On July 24 I met Sgt Kidd across the canal from the nest and she released this Osprey with its family looking on. Young Osprey will return to the nest as that is where they will be fed until they are proficient at catching their own fish.

07/16/2026

The Green Herons were released yesterday! We took in several nestling Green Herons this summer, from various locations. In each case they were found on the ground after windstorms. They were too young to survive on their own and the nests could not be located. The young Herons were raised at FLRC and released into appropriate habitat on Finger Lakes National Forest property.

07/12/2026

Baby season is such a busy time for rehabbers, and many babies need to be hand fed, and fed often! This is an American Kestrel, a small Falcon, that we currently have in care. This video was taken last Wednesday when he was six days old. The day he hatched, someone saw a bird drop him. They didn’t know what kind of bird. They were much closer to the Janet L Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell than to FLRC and I advised the finder to take the baby there as it was already late evening when I was contacted. Fortunately, no injures were found, and the baby was transferred to FLRC the next morning. We currently have several fledgling aged Kestrels in our care. It is unusual to get one this young this time of year. We will post updates on his progress.

06/27/2026

Last night we released this beautiful Great Horned Owl just before sunset. She was found in a field, covered in flypaper, and unable to fly. She was taken to Woodhaven Wildlife Center where the flypaper was removed and her flight evaluated. There were concerns with her ability to land so she was sent to the Wildlife Hospital at Cornell. The veterinarians gave her a clean bill of health and transferred to FLRC for further flight evaluation. She did very well in our large flight cage and has now been sent on way. We wish her well. wildlife

06/07/2026

The Robins moved to their outside flight cage today. They will spend time getting used to the weather, learning how to forage for natural foods, and hone their flying skills.

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.