'Just breathtaking': Lake County Forest Preserve's red-tailed hawk left lasting impression
A red-tailed hawk that made an indelible impression over 33 years as an education ambassador is being remembered as an old friend by the Lake County Forest Preserve District.
The bird of prey was said to have inspired more than 500,000 school kids and others she encountered at various public programs and events during her long life.
Her reach was so vast and presence so established, forest preserve officials felt it appropriate and fitting to post the news of her passing on social media.
"We wanted to acknowledge it as a loss for a lot of people," said Nan Buckardt, the district's director of education. "She's made an impression on a lot of people."
The hawk was a top attraction in the district's popular Predator Prey program at the Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area in Riverwoods. Even adults were wide-eyed.
"I just wanted to make the comment to let them know how much that program means to our kids," said Lake Zurich resident Laura Rogers, who was among dozens who reacted to or shared the district's tribute.
"I must say it's one of the best field trips I've chaperoned and I've chaperoned quite a few," she added. "It's so nice they took the time and effort to rescue her and give her such purpose."
Besides a close-up lesson in nature, the hawk helped teach concepts such as biodiversity, food chains, and interdependence in ecosystems, which are part of school science curricula, according to Environmental Educator Anissa Chaudhry.
"Every time we would open her carrier and take her out, there would be silence. It was really a cool experience. She was just breathtaking," Chaudhry said.
The young hawk was found in the summer of 1988 near Highland Park with a badly injured wing. The bird healed at a rehabilitation center, but could only glide short distances and was unable to generate enough lift to soar and hunt in the wild.
A connection was made with the forest preserve district and a specially designed enclosure, called a mews, was built at Ryerson.
Under the "name" portion of required state and federal permits, the bird was listed only as "red-tailed hawk" in deference to her origins as a wild animal rather than a pet.
Extensive training with education staff and volunteers included having the bird eat prey from a thick leather gloved hand. That created a positive association, prompting the bird to step onto the glove when it was offered.
"We were able to start working with her early on," said Buckardt, who has been involved with the hawk since the beginning. "She was comfortable around people from an early age."
Buckardt said the hawk's primary diet was rats and small quail. They were labeled as frozen meat but everyone knew what was inside.
"I always laughed when UPS guy dropped off a box of frozen rats," Buckardt said.
The bird was thought to be female but it wasn't confirmed until she laid eggs about five years into her stay. Until a few years ago, she instinctively built a nest for her eggs using provided sticks and evergreen branches. Eggs formed without the presence of a male are fertile and don't hatch.
The hawk had all the attributes of a healthy bird except for flight.
"She was a powerful but gentle bird who often greeted handlers with affectionate chirps when they entered her enclosure," Chaudhry wrote in tribute.
Buckardt said the hawk had regular visitors who checked on her at the mews in Ryerson Woods. And when staff or volunteers took her for a walk to get sunshine, they could count on being stopped to answer questions.
Chaudhry said red-tailed hawks live 10 to 19 years in the wild and up to 29 years in captivity. The district ran an article in the Fall 2019 Horizons magazine for the bird's 30th birthday.
Though she retired from field trips about a year and a half ago because of her age and the stress of travel, she made more virtual appearances than expected during the past year.
But cataracts and arthritis worsened and her systems began to fail. She died May 7.
For now, a screech owl is available for educational programming. The district will be working with licensed rehabilitators to find another bird in need of a home, Buckardt said.