Rescue the Perishing

One cold morning while Russel was preparing the morning meal for the cows, he glimpsed a desperate sparrow fleeing toward the molasses tank. In through the open lid flew the sparrow, followed in close pursuit by a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Russel climbed up onto the 3,000 gallon tank and peered in. The tank was two-thirds full. The trapped hawk had forgotten the sparrow and was tired out from trying to spare its own life.

Russel slid off the tank and ran for a section of stiff wire. He bent the wire into the shape of a chicken-catcher hook. Wire in hand, he climbed back up and slid it in through the opening. After several attempts, he snagged the hawk’s wing with the hook.

The poor hawk was going limp from the strain of trying to escape and the cold of the sticky molasses. Russel ran with the hawk to the milk house and rinsed it off with warm water. He carried it to the washhouse where we dried it with a towel. We placed the hawk in front of a heater.

After about an hour, the hawk revived and was snapping at the pieces of meat we offered it. We decided it was vicious enough that it would be able to fly. We took the hawk outside and released it. It flew to a nearby electric pole. Later it flew off, wiser, we hope, than it was earlier.

As for the sparrow, it died in the molasses tank.