A group of community members and the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network came together late last month to rescue and re-nest a baby red-tailed hawk that had fallen from its nest in a tall gum tree.
A local neighbor, Jim Marshall, first found the baby red-tailed hawk early in the evening and found it had fallen nearly 90 feet from its nest in a gum tree in front of the El Encanto Hotel.
He then enlisted the help of neighbor Peggy Love, who took the baby hawk to safety overnight, and the next morning the two neighbors took the bird to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network Animal Hospital.
Rachel Mattovich, communications manager for the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, said the wildlife hospital team examined the baby hawk and determined that it sustained no injuries in the fall.
Julia Parker, Operations Manager, then got to work, coordinating the falcon’s neutering and reunion with its mother and siblings.
In addition to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, those involved in the action included Marshall and Love; El Encanto Hotel staff such as Technical Director James Esparaza and Technical Director Alex Billalba; and two tree felling companies.
“It took a lot of different people,” Mattovich said. “It was a pure community effort.”
The first tree felling company called in, Douglas Cicileo Trees and Arborist Services, came up with their lift to return the goshawk to its nest, but the lift was up to 70 feet long and not high enough to reach the nest.
Most of the “Operation: Re-Nest” participants returned by 7am the next morning to make a second attempt to re-nest the bird.
 100vw, 257px” data-lazy-src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.noozhawk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/052523-Hawk-ReNest-4- Cont. jpeg?resize=257%2C457&is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1″ srcset=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7″/>A Peterson’s Tree Care hoist lifts an arborist up to the Tree to re-nest the baby red-tailed hawk. <span class=)
This time, Peterson’s Tree Care provided the 90-foot lift and arborist Gobino Nova was able to safely reach the hawk’s nest and return the baby red-tailed hawk to its family. Mattovich said Peterson’s Tree Care was one of the very few companies in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties that had the type of lifting equipment that allowed them to safely reach the height of the nest.
Mattovich also told Noozhawk that community members have kept the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network informed and said the little red-tailed hawks are doing fine.
“The neighbors watched [the hawks] and they’re doing great,” Mattovich said. “It was a really happy ending.”
If a sick or injured animal is found, the person should call the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network Helpline at 805.681.1080. For more information on what to do if you find an animal that needs help, as well as how the organization works, visit the website here.
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