Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Dora re-injures her wing, leaves Tompkins Square Park for examination, possible rehab


[Photo today by @alexlawrens]

Dora, one of the red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, continued to have difficulty today flying. She was spotted sitting on a porch rail along Ninth Street between Avenue B and C.

She eventually made it into Tompkins Square Park ... and into a tree, but the hawk-watchers said it was a struggle. (All photos below via Steven.)



Ranger Rob (aka Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger supervisor) and a worker from the Animal Care and Control of NYC were eventually able to safely secure Dora ...







Bobby Horvath of the Long Island-based WINORR (the Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation) arrived in the Park to take Dora away for examination...







At this point we don't know the extent of the injury and when she might be able to return.

Dora had been in WINORR's care starting in late November ... she was declared fit to come back to the Park on Feb. 26 for an awkward-at-first reunion with her longtime mate Christo.

Hawk watchers on Saturday noticed that Dora's rehabbed wing was starting to droop. She likely aggravated it on Monday during the tussle with an unknown red-tailed hawk who invaded her nest.

Meanwhile! As if that wasn't enough drama. Here's a dispatch from Goggla in the Park: "There is a stranger hawk [NOT Barucha/Nora] in the nest right now and Christo is on the Christodora."

She'll post more on today's development at her site later today. Updated: Her post is here, and includes video ... and details about yet another female red-tailed hawk who arrived in the Park!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Dora the red-tailed hawk returns to Tompkins Square Park

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my, cutting the cable now that all the drama is free and in the park. Poor Dora, stay out of brawls going forward please.

Anonymous said...

To be continued . . . will Dora rebound? And will Christo keep her nest? and what of the nestlings? And this interloper hawk? Is she the dark lady menace?

Stay tuned; we'll be back after this brief station break.

Giovanni said...

How come there’s no medical help for all the squirrels and pigeons these hawks maim? I thought these birds were supposed to be tough, lbut it looks like they need Obamacare too.

Anonymous said...

Didn't think the wing looked too great after the tussle. Question, am thinking the egg laying can happen in rehab as well ?

Anonymous said...

@Giovanni: Hawks don't *maim* pigeons & squirrels - they generally kill their prey & eat it.

Adult hawks like Christo don't go after prey that's too large for them; they usually eat rats & mice, sometimes SMALL (young) squirrels.

It's juvenile hawks that try to catch something they can't actually wrangle.

I hope Dora recovers and can be re-released back in TSP, but it's dicey when they're re-injured.

Brian said...

I'm beginning to think Dora has better healthcare insurance than I have.

Gojira said...

Noooo! Come back soon, you indomitable, a-Dora-ble warrior!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully it's nothing too serious! On a somewhat related park note, does anyone know how the possum is doing???

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Goggla and EVG, for the great coverage!!

Sarah said...

Looks like Dora's going to have to cut a bitch or two more before they step off!

(Seriously, if she's laid eggs, I hope they are safe.)

Anonymous said...

Aww. Poor thing. I hope she is okay and returns soon :(