Sonny, the Yellow Lab, and Lucky, the Red Shouldered Hawk

Sonny, the yellow lab, and Lucky, the Red Shouldered Hawk’s lives crossed on a cold snowy day in Virginia when Sonny sensed something was terribly wrong with the beautiful raptor perched on the fence for hours. http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/59853
Injured, with his wings clipped or possibly dragged by a car, the hawk could not fly away. He’s been sitting on his fence perch for hours, just moving his head, unperturbed by the dog’s furious and relentless barks. Sonny seldom barked so that drew the attention of his owner, Scott Lingamfelter, who sent his son Paul to check out the source of Sonny’s commotion.

Lucky
Photo Credit: Scott Lingamfelter, March 23, 2014

Red Shouldered Hawks nest in deciduous woodlands with tall trees and a good source of water, near rivers and swamps. Hunters of mice, frogs, and snakes, their “kee-rah” whistle makes a distinctive sound in the forest. Their stick nests can be seen in the main crotch of a large tree. When migrating, the Red Shouldered hawks fly high overhead along ridges and the coast.

Scott Lingamfelter, Sonny’s owner, posted today an update on the fate of the Red Shouldered Hawk who had been picked up by the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia in Falls Church for evaluation and possible rehabilitation.

Kent Knowles of Raptor Conservancy of Virginia reported that the hawk is doing as well as it can be expected. He is “self-feeding and slowly regaining weight.” When the weather warms up, RCV will release some birds from flight cages, birds that have completed rehab, and are now ready to fly on their own in the wild. There will be room, and Sonny’s hawk, Lucky, will be moved into a flight cage.

After the hawk completes a successful molt in August, his condition will be reassessed. The wildlife caretakers are not sure Lucky will be able to complete a molt. Sonny’s hawk may need more recovery time since “most of his flight feathers on both wings were torn at the halfway point, and the raptor is considered non-flighted.”

Without Sonny’s “bark-a-thon” that cold December day, the dehydrated and hungry hawk would not be alive today. Scott Lingamfelter named the hawk Lucky. He did not have nine lives that day but Sonny’s canine instinct that alerted human help, gave him another chance at life. Nobody would have known the terrible condition the raptor was in.

 Sonny, the Yellow Lab hero

Photo credit: Scott Lingmafelter, March 23, 2014

 

 

Sonny and the Red Shouldered Hawk

Sonny the "rescue dog"

Sonny was running back and forth in the wet snow, barking furiously in the direction of the back yard fence. Scott Lingamfelter’s yellow lab was normally quiet, he rarely barked. Something must have really attracted his curiosity.

At first, they ignored him. He will eventually calm down, they thought. Perhaps he saw neighborhood kids outside playing in the snow or building a snowman and he got excited.

It was a cold, snowy day, and everybody was enjoying the cozy fireplace. Scott’s son, Paul, decided to go outside and investigate the source of Sonny’s unusual barking and irritation.

Perched on the fence, resting, was a Red Shouldered hawk, totally unperturbed by the noise made by the agitated yellow lab. When seeing humans, the seemingly calm bird did not fly from his perch. He sat there motionless for hours, occasionally moving his head, uninterested to fly away in spite of Sonny continued barking.

The hawk perched on the fence.
 

After several hours, Scott decided to call the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fishers (DGIF), asking about this particular hawk. After contacting a raptor rescue, an individual arrived to capture and check the hawk out to make sure he was not injured.

To their surprise, the hawk could not fly away even if he wanted to flee. His wings were indeed damaged, not by another animal, they had been clipped. The hawk got away from his owner who held him captive by clipping his wings. He could not fend for himself but had made it as far as Scott’s back yard fence, causing the commotion with Sonny.

The hawk was very dehydrated and hungry. Caring and safe hands fed him and gave him water. He will be held and cared for until his wing feathers will grow back and he will be able to fly and fend for himself. New feather growth will take about a year and, if able to fly and feed himself, he will be released back into the wild.

Sonny “the rescue dog” saved the beautiful hawk’s life. Without Sonny’s canine instincts, Scott and his family would have never known the terrible condition the raptor was in. While the hawk is being cared for by the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries, Scott Lingamfelter, a Virginia delegate, will post regular reports on his Facebook page on the hawk’s condition and progress.

Photos by Scott Lingamfelter