He was struggling to keep his head above water 😨
On a recent weekend in El Dorado County, California, guests at a pool party checked the pool filter and found an animal inside who needed their help. Sadly, it’s fairly common for small animals like frogs, snakes and spiders to wind up in pool filters. But when the party guests lifted the lid, they were shocked by the sight of a huge red-shouldered hawk.
That day, it was 110 degrees outside. Desperate to cool off, the hawk had tried to take a drink of water and fell into the pool.
“[O]nce a bird’s feathers get that wet, they are unable to fly,” Debbie Buckles, president of Sierra Wildlife Rescue (SWR), told The Dodo.
As if that weren’t scary enough for the hawk, while he was in the pool, he got sucked into the tiny pool filter. As soon as the party guests discovered the hawk, they called SWR, who sent someone right away to help with the dire situation.
While the party guests were waiting for rescuer to arrive, they left the hawk in the filter and even put the lid back on. But Buckles emphasized that if you find yourself with an animal stuck in your filter, it’s okay to try to free them yourself. The best course of action is to put on some thick gloves or oven mitts and try moving the animal to a warm, dry area while you wait for your local wildlife rescuers to arrive and take it from there.
Thankfully, though, this hawk’s rescuer arrived just in time.
“During the removal of the hawk from the pool filter, [he] was not responsive, extremely tired [and] soaking wet,” Buckles told The Dodo.
Even though it was such a hot day, when the hawk arrived at the avian rehabber, he was shivering. Being stuck in the pool filter and fighting to keep his head above water had been such a harrowing experience that he was barely hanging on. But the avian rehabbers lovingly nursed him back to life.
“Using the low speed of a hair dryer and a very gentle touch, each feather was carefully separated and preened. The hawk was able to warm back up and have [his] feathers restored,” Buckles said.
All it took was some good food and antibiotics for the hawk to completely transform. Buckles said he regained his “feisty personality” as well as “[his] strength and flight ability.” After just two weeks, it was time for the hawk to return to his natural habitat. The hawk’s rescuers released him back into the area where he was found.
“As the rescuer put on gloves and held the hawk up towards the sky, [he] sat for a moment on the glove, taking in the surroundings. Then, the hawk looked into the rescuer’s eyes as though to say thank you, and then took flight,” Buckles said.
If you’re interested in preventing wildlife from falling in your pool, Buckles recommends installing an escape ramp so that animals can climb out themselves if they end up stuck.
This hawk’s recovery story touched his rescuers deeply.
“The rescuer said it was so serene to see the hawk fly so strongly and freely,” Buckles said. “[He] had a second chance at life.”
