snailkites: Remembering the Great Black Hawk (2018-2019) A great celebrity flew from the mortal plan
snailkites: Remembering the Great Black Hawk (2018-2019) A great celebrity flew from the mortal plane yesterday. For those unaware, the first U.S. record of Great Black Hawk, a year-round resident from Mexico to South America, was discovered in Texas last April. The bird was young, in its first year of life. It soared over onlookers at South Padre Island, TX bound for parts unknown. To everyone’s surprise, the lost youngster kept flying onward, spurred by some unknown internal force telling it to go north. By August, it had arrived in Maine and was soon discovered to be the same individual from Texas. The bird gained celebrity status as birders clamored for a look. It seemed at home in Maine. Eventually, the bird was seen flying out to sea and disappeared for several months. But it held on, resurfacing in the fall in a public park in Portland, ME, where it spent months catching squirrels to onlookers’ delight (and possibly disgust). However, just as the Polar Vortex has us shivering, a bird from the balmy Neotropics stood no chance against the winters of the Northeast. Its long, agile legs worked against it. The Great Black Hawk was found on the ground, unable to stand, earlier this month. It seemed to rally once taken to an avian rehabber, but despite the best efforts of Avian Haven the damage was already done. The lingering, nigh-unstoppable effects of frostbite slowly claimed the bird’s legs. Today we received word that the bird had been euthanized. The spectacle of rare or out-of-range birds is inherently attractive to birders. Why here? What was happening inside this bird that drove it to fly onwards, northwards? What caused it to stop? It is an unfortunate truth that the story of many rarities ends in tragedy. But to this young bird, its journey was one of exploration, going farther than any bird of its species had before. No other Great Black Hawk has ever had the pleasure of eating a fat winter squirrel. Perhaps no other Great Black Hawk has ever even seen the snow. I wish I could have seen it go about its inscrutable business. But now, freed from the pain of the bitter cold, it flies somewhere even further. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, little one. -- source link