Raptor Center of Southeast Michigan

By Dody Wyman

You may have noticed reading our previous newsletters that we often refer to the birds by a “people” name. You may be wondering if we name the birds who come to us in need of help. We use names like “left wing bird”, “HBV (hit by vehicle) head trauma”, “the right foot guy”, and etc. As you can see, our names don’t carry much glamour at all.

Most of the birds brought to us come already named by the finder. One reason finders are so important to us is that they immediately bond with the injured or sick bird they’ve found and often the bonding becomes closer if they give it a name.

A couple of months ago we released a young red-tailed hawk who came to us having been hit by a car and had a wing injury. His recovery was a bit touch and go for a while, so we sent him to a local falconer to see if he could fly and hunt. After some practice he was deemed to fly just fine and chased a baited lure perfectly. As we try always to do, we invited the finders to come partake in the release. This bird that we had referred to as “left wing guy” flew up into a tree as the finders yelled “Go Eddie!!” Eddie?? Sounds so much better than what we had named him.

As you continue to enjoy our newsletters and the great stories of raptor rescue and rehabilitation, you will now know how these birds got their name. And if you have rescued an injured raptor for us, we totally understand all of the emotions behind the name you gave “your” bird.