(Photo copyrighted by Derek Ram 2007, GNU Free Documentation Lic., posted to Wikipedia)
Two red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) set up housekeeping on the side of Philadelphia’s science museum – The Franklin Institute. Staff members have installed a web cam so that anyone can follow the pair’s efforts to raise their three, very recently hatched, chicks. There is no artificial lighting so you’ll need to watch during daylight hours (Eastern Daylight Time).
Also recently hatched are three bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) chicks in Sidney, British Columbia. This nest can be seen on the Hancock Wildlife Foundation, a site for streaming wildlife cams.
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2009.04.19, Sunday at 6:28 am
iconjohn
I just saw some owls, hawks and bald headed eagles at a controlled sanctuary (zoo) in Florida and was somewhat disappointed. The eagles were old looking and I’m guessing had their wings clipped so they couldn’t fly away. Maybe they had been rescued? Not the wild, soaring bird I’d expected. Will check out this hawk webcam.
2009.04.20, Monday at 12:48 am
rivertyde
Hi. The impression that I have from visiting zoos and other wildlife facilities is that almost all raptors in captivity are rescued birds. There may be some that are bred and born in captivity but the overwhelming majority are rescued birds which were once injured and unable or unlikely to live on their own.
Hopefully, the birds you saw were well cared for even if they were elderly or ill. If you think the facility was abusive or inadequate then you should report it to the Florida Wildlife Commission – or whatever agency it is called in Florida. Many raptors are protected federally so if the facility is not up to ’snuff’ then they could get in big trouble — therefore, you should be very sure of the care and conditions before reporting abuse.
Injured/handicapped birds in captivity can play a valuable role in educating people about their wild fellows and promote the kind of appreciation that advances public interest in protection.
(p.s. Do you remember that we met at a Phila. Webloggers Meetup once? Thanks for the comment.)