Injured Red-tailed Hawk Chick "K2" Retrieved From #CornellHawks Nest – June 22, 2021

During the week of June 14, Red-tailed Hawk cam moderators and camera operators noticed that the middle-hatched nestling named K2 was inflicted with an unknown injury to the eye and bill. As days passed on, K2 became increasingly lethargic and had issues with eating food. In consultation with wildlife veterinarians and rehabilitators at Cornell University, it became clear that K2's chances of survival without intervention was unlikely. So, on the morning of June 22, Cornell Lab staff made the decision to retrieve K2 from its nest so it could receive treatment for its injuries. With the help of Cornell Facilities staff, Dr. Rolfe Radcliffe from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CUVM) and Ben Walters from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology successfully retrieved K2 from the nesting platform and delivered the chick into the expert care of the veterinarians at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center. While we hope for a full recovery, the chick’s survival is not guaranteed. We trust the treatment decisions and expert care provided by the wildlife veterinarians in regards to K2’s condition. We are very grateful to the staff at Cornell Facilities, veterinarians at CUVM and Wildlife Health Center, wildlife rehabilitators, birders on the ground, and the hawk cam community for their support. We will continue to provide updates on K2’s condition at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/an.... Watch live at allaboutbirds.org/cornellhawks A Red-tailed Hawk pair has been nesting above Cornell University’s athletic fields since at least the 2012, making use of two different light towers for their nest sites. In 2012 and 2015, they used a tower near Fernow Hall, and in 2013, 2014, and 2016, they used the tower nearest Weill Hall. We installed cameras at both of these sites to get a better look at the intimate behavior of these well-known birds as they raise their young amid the bustle of a busy campus. #birdcams #live #hawk #birds #wildlife #nature #nowplaying #newyork