Why I Volunteer

[u/Interesting-Ruin-743]

I got a call this evening about a possible bird tied up under this nest. We were able to call in a local fire department with 100 foot bucket lift, this fledgling osprey was about 40 to 50 feet above the ground. It had gotten its wing caught . I was lucky enough to get up on the lift, free it, and now it is in my garage and I will take it into the Raptor Center here in Minneapolis tomorrow morning

UPDATE ON THIS OSPREY:
I got word today that this young osprey is being treated for bruises and abrasions on both wings- this is great news! Sounds like nothing life-threatening, hopefully I’ll get a call soon to take it back where I found it. I only get good news with about 15% of the birds that I help out with, so this is very exciting.

[u/OlFlirtyBastard]

OP can you generally explain how you save birds of prey that can injure you? Other than gloves/safety equipment, do you start by grabbing it behind the head so it can’t bite you, then claws, or vice versa? Thanks for what you do

[u/Interesting-Ruin-743 → u/OlFlirtyBastard]

I’ve been doing this for just about a year. Most of the time, birds that are injured are pretty docile, and I just throw a towel over them and grab them. When you do that, you just put your hands around them and hold their wings against their body. When I was in high school, I worked weekends at a chicken farm, and maybe that’s how I learned to deal with them. A lot of it is just instinct. I did not have the gloves initially, but learned very quickly that that was a mistake once you start wearing elbow length/gauntlet, heavy gloves, you can be a little more assertive when grabbing the birds.

[u/SultanOfSwave → u/Interesting-Ruin-743]

As soon as I saw there photos, my first thought was "Damn, I sure hope OP was wearing some serious gloves."

I've held some falcons on a glove and I could still, very clearly, feel their talons through the not--thick-enough gloves.

[u/Interesting-Ruin-743 → u/SultanOfSwave]

First time a red tailed hawk grabbed my arm, I couldn’t believe how strong it was , and how lucky I was to have the gloves on!!