Goshawk on the go

By Danny Buttler
IT was a moment as rare as it was remarkable.
In a sodden paddock near Nar Nar Goon, a brown goshawk came back from the dead to take flight against all the odds.
The bird of prey was found with a broken wing in the same paddock in mid-February.
Birds with fractured wings die in the wild and will usually have the same fate in the veterinarian’s surgery.
But the efforts of local vet Nick Emerton and wildlife carers Berny and Phil Paprota have seen the raptor back patrolling the skies over Five Mile Road.
Last week’s release was a big moment for the goshawk, but for those involved in its long rehabilitation, there were plenty of frayed nerves and even sleepless nights.
But none of the worst-case scenarios came to fruition as the bird fought its way out of Berny’s grip and flew straight onto a branch of a nearby gum tree. Within a minute it had taken off again and was soaring through the upper canopy at remarkable speeds.
“It’s wonderful, it makes all the hard work and worry worthwhile. To see them fly off is just magic,” Berny said.
“Sometimes when you release birds they only fly to a certain height which means they still have damage to their wings, but this guy was straight off into the air, it was just wonderful.”
Dr Nick was clearly delighted to watch the end game of months of patient rehabilitation and two sessions of delicate surgery.
“I’m stoked I could get out and see this,” he said.
“I’ve actually lost a bit sleep over the last few days wondering if it would crash into the paddock or something. To see it in full flight and perching in the tree is absolutely outstanding.”
Dr Nick said the surgery at the Pakenham Veterinary Clinic involved a pin being inserted into a fractured humerus, which is the upper wing bone connected to the shoulder.
“Even though he is quite a large raptor, we were still only dealing with chicken bones,” he said.
“It was important that we took the pin out. Even though it was a small pin, it would have created an asymmetry and therefore an imbalance.”
While last week’s successful release was a highlight for both vet and carers, there are still many other animals needing time and resources to make it back into the wild.
Berny and Phil would love to hear from anyone who can help with donations for a new kangaroo run, which will be used to house injured macropods.
Anyone who wishes to help can contact them on pcrotty@bigpond.net.au