INTRODUCING OUR WONDERFUL
BIRD AMBASSADORS
BIRD AMBASSADORS
MS. MURPHY, OUR RED TAILED HAWK
Murphy has a fascinating history. She came into a wildlife rehabilitation group in El Dorado County, CA, unable to fly or stand. Kelli and Carol actually went on her rescue and were in charge of her rehabilitation. She had no broken bones or any identifiable injury. We didn’t know what was wrong with her. She was just – down. After weeks of food and rest, when she seemed to be recovering her strength, she suddenly had a seizure. She came through that with some setbacks, but was alive and alert, and she recovered once more. Then she suffered another seizure, so Kelli and Dr. Carol, HH&H’s vet of record, took her to Dr. Vickie Joseph a well known raptor veterinarian for an assessment. There, a blood test revealed that Murphy was suffering from West Nile Virus. Red-tailed hawks and owls, along with crows and magpies, are very susceptible to this serious disease. Most birds that contract it die – it affects their entire physical and psychological systems.
But Murphy was determined to survive. She was under a year old when she came in and now, years later after care and physical therapy, she has recovered remarkably. She still has balance problems, though she is improving in that area. And she will remain partially blind in both eyes. Kelli, her handler and trainer, flies her, gets her to exercise in other ways, and has helped her come to enjoy entertaining a crowd. But she sees well enough to fly on a creance (a long flexible leash). Kelli has Murphy leashed to her glove so that she can control, to a degree, where and how far Murphy flies. It is good exercise for all concerned! If you click on the video link, you will learn more about Murphy and see her flying for food treats.
MS. LUCY, OUR
CANADA GOOSE
CANADA GOOSE
We got a call back in September of 2021, asking us if we would consider adding a new Ambassador to HH&H. The funny thing is that not two weeks prior our team talked about how we would love to add a "Honker" back to our lineup of birds. It was nothing short of amazing how things just worked out.
HH&H hasn't had a goose as a part of our Ambassador line up since 2013 and it is quite exciting for us. She is a gosling, hatched in the spring of 2020 and full of personality! She is very smart and has taken well to her clicker training. She loves to eat dandelion greens, dried mealworms and corn as a part of her training. We can't wait to share her with you, we are certain that you will love her as much as we do.
HH&H hasn't had a goose as a part of our Ambassador line up since 2013 and it is quite exciting for us. She is a gosling, hatched in the spring of 2020 and full of personality! She is very smart and has taken well to her clicker training. She loves to eat dandelion greens, dried mealworms and corn as a part of her training. We can't wait to share her with you, we are certain that you will love her as much as we do.
MS. DIEGA, OUR
BURROWING OWL
BURROWING OWL
The day of our "Owl-O-Ween" Fundraiser we made USFWS and CAFWS know that we were looking for another Burrowing Owl. We had a wonderful experience with our little lady Digger for a few years that when she passed away, we wanted to look for another that needed a home. Of course it took a number of years for us to be ready but the timing was just right, we received a call in early December of 2021 letting us know a Burrowing Owl was in need of placement, we were so excited. This little lady was found injured down in the San Diego area, hence her name...Diega. She was brought into the San Diego Humane Society with loss of vision in her left eye due to possibly being hit by a car. It took some planning and on January 12th we flew to Irvine to meet Erin who is a volunteer for the San Diego Humane Society graciously drove Diega up to Irvine to meet us. The airlines would not allow us to bring Diega into the cabin of the airplane so we rented a car and drove from Irvine back to Sacramento with her. She has been in training with Jeanette ever since. She is taking to her training very well, we cannot wait for you to meet her!
MS. RIVER, OUR
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
We welcomed River who came from the San Diego Humane Society. She is a "hatch year bird", which means that she was hatched in the Spring of this year (2022). She was rescued because he had a broken leg which was surgically repaired but during his rehabilitation, she imprinted on people. Being an imprint, she became "non-releasable" and that gave us an opportunity to adopt her. Red-shouldered Hawks are prevalent here in the Sacramento Valley so she will fit right in with the others. She is doing well in her training and out to meet the public soon. She is in her juvenile plumage that will change over the next couple years. Red-shouldered Hawks are very vocal and she sure does let us know that she's joined HH&H.
Quick update on River, she made her debut at our Annual Fundraiser on October 15, 2022! She did amazing and will only get better in time.
Quick update on River, she made her debut at our Annual Fundraiser on October 15, 2022! She did amazing and will only get better in time.