Date: 11/6/26 12:33 pm From: Liz Pease <lizpease...> Subject: Re: [MASSBIRD] An Unusual Red-shouldered Hawk in Virginia
Hah! Thanks for sharing, Paul. It reminded me that my very first
Red-Shouldered Hawk was in Charlottesville, VA while I was in college. It
used to sit in a copse of trees about 30 feet from the balcony where I fed
the birds (which is what turned me into a birder all those many years ago)!
On Fri, Nov 6, 2026 at 3:11 PM PAUL ROBERTS <phawk254...> wrote:
> Earlier this week an adult Red-shouldered Hawk was recovered in a driveway
> just a mile from the center of Roanoke, Virginia, unable to fly according
> to CNN.
>
> "Rescuers checked the hawk for broken bones, lead toxicity, eye issues,
> head trauma, emaciation and bruising, but she showed no signs of injury."
> Veterinarians eventually concluded that the hawk was just "too darn fat."
> The resident who had found the hawk unable to fly questioned her neighbors,
> only to learn that one's "free-roaming chickens were disappearing at an
> alarming rate over the last few weeks."
>
> The Redshoulder was apparently picking off a chicken, eating her fill, and
> then resting in the trees nearby until she was hungry again. This had
> occurred repeatedly, to the point that she was too full to fly. Vets found
> she weighed over two pounds, roughly twice the average female Shoulder. She
> simply couldn't get that extra pound off the ground....
>
> She's now on a weight loss diet.
>
> Best,
> Paul
>
> Paul M. Roberts
> Medford, MA
> <phawk254...>
>
