Unexpected goshawk rescue mission by Cascade Biologist Adrien Baudouin

Brian (RMOW fish and Wildlife Technician) and I were completing a Pileated woodpecker survey alongthe Comfortably Numb trail when Brian brought something unusual to my attention. There was a baby raptor perched on a stump just two meters away from the trail.

After taking a few pictures, we noticed that the bird was not flying away and we thought that something might be wrong it. After a few phone calls to the conservation officer, we got redirected to O.W.L. (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society), who confirmed that the bird was a baby northern goshawk.

Given that there were no signs of the nest or the mother, O.W.L. advised us to rescue the bird and they would come and pick it up in Whistler. Brian and I were not sure how to proceed with capturing the bird so after asking a few questions they told us: “just wrap it in a shirt if you can… and watch out for the talons…”. Brian sacrificed his shirt and as we moved closer the bird started to flap his wings but couldn’t fly. A few seconds later the bird was wrapped in the shirt and stayed completely still. The capture was easy after all!

We then walked for about an hour to our pick up location with the bird still wrapped in Brian’s shirt. The bird, named Edgar by that point, was then placed in a box and stayed with Brian at his house until a volunteer from O.W.L could pick it up and drive it to Delta. Brian later told me that Edgar got a ride to Delta with another baby hawk friend and that Edgar was doing well and should be released back in Whistler in about three months.