I have not found any reference to hawks eating fungi. Has anyone heard of this? Witches Butter is reputed to be helpful for respiratory problems, but it is also possible that the hawk is trying just out a possible food source. It flew straight to this tree from a nearby one and started biting the fungus right away.
Re: Red-Tailed Hawk eating Witches Butter fungus.
Posted: Nov 10 4:34 pm
by jewill
I have not heard of this either. Raptors exclusively eat other animals. I notice his beak is severely overgrown so maybe he can’t eat anything else and this is his last attempt at avoiding starvation.
Re: Red-Tailed Hawk eating Witches Butter fungus.
Posted: Nov 10 7:56 pm
by BillGyles
That's sad. I hadn't noticed the beak. I will try and check on him in the next few days.
Re: Red-Tailed Hawk eating Witches Butter fungus.
Posted: Nov 13 1:08 pm
by jewill
Hi Bill,
I confirmed it with the bird care staff at OWL. This bird's beak is too long for him to eat anything so if something isn't done, i.e. he gets captured and taken to a wildlife rehabber, he will die a slow, painful death due to starvation. It could be that his beak simply needs a trim - a simple procedure; or he could be suffering from a parasitic disease (the name of which escapes me) that makes the beak grow out of control. In any case he needs help from a professional bird rehabber.
If you see him again, or even if you don't, it may be worth reporting. I believe you are on the island (?) so there are 3 rehabbers you could contact:
Mountainaire Avian Rescue in Merville at 250-337-2021
Wild ARC in Victoria at 1-855-622-7722
North Island Wildlife Recovery in Errington at 250-248-8534
Please do not attempt to capture him yourself; that would be too dangerous. If you could report it to whichever of the above rehabbers is closest at least they would be aware of the situation and could be on the lookout for him. Hopefully the bird can get some help.
Thanks.
Re: Red-Tailed Hawk eating Witches Butter fungus.
Posted: Nov 13 4:42 pm
by BillGyles
Thanks for the info, Judy. I talked with someone at the recovery centre in Errington. There has to be someone with eyes on the bird for them to respond, which makes sense. I will check if one of their volunteers in Nanaimo is available tomorrow and if so go down to Duncan to find the bird.
Re: Red-Tailed Hawk eating Witches Butter fungus.
Posted: Nov 13 7:32 pm
by jewill
Thanks for reporting it Bill. I hope you can find it again; it’s amazing how well they can hide when they are sick or injured.
Good luck.