A Swainson鈥檚 hawk is once again soaring over its natural habitat after being released by a rehabilitation society in the Lumby area.
The raptor was taken in by Orphan Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL), based in Delta B.C., after it was found near Rawlings Lake with an injured shoulder.
Vernon resident Gary Turner has assisted with OWL bird rescues for 15 years and was present for the release on Saturday, July 4, along with the people who turned it in for rehabilitation.
鈥淯sually when you open a crate with a hawk, it just bolts,鈥� Turner said.
鈥淭his one was quite reluctant to leave the create actually, and we had to shake it and poke it and tip it upside down. Finally it flew away and then it just landed in a nearby tree.鈥�
A registered non-profit society since 1985, OWL specializes in raptors only. Each year hundreds of birds are sent to its Delta facility and are returned to the area in which they were found.
Swainson鈥檚 hawks typically breed in the Thompson-Okanagan Plateau from Princeton to the North Okanagan and Thompson River valleys.
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