20180606-American Kestrel - 1

  This bird came to us from Portland, IN.  It was found in a back yard with no parents around.  The healthy orphan was transferred to our treatment and recovery unit where it received nourishment and care.  It started eating right away and was soon able to be transferred to our larger facility where it could begin to exercise its wings along with the other orphaned kestrels.  The final test was to make sure that it could catch and eat live prey.  We isolated the bird in another pen and it was given live mice.  It ate those live mice two days in a row so we felt comfortable that it will be able to hunt properly.  Since it came to us as a baby it can be released in any suitable area.  We chose Metea County Park and it was released on September 20, 2018.