Local hawk comes back to roost

PENNY HARMS/Special to The Acorn OLD FRIENDS—Apprentive falconer Stephanie Sayre saw Kalypso in The Acorn's recent Photograph of the Year presentation. The hawk's bleached talons were easily recognizable to Sayre, who had cleaned oil off of them the year before. The front page of the Thurs., Jan. 1 Acorn, featured an amazing photograph of a red-tailed hawk taken by a reader, Joshua Lesser, of Agoura Hills. It was The Acorn's Photo of the Year.

Stephanie Sayre of Agoura Hills recognized the hawk instantly as Kalypso, a juvenile redtail trapped by Sayre, an apprentice falconer, on Oct. 16, 2007 in Camarillo and released to the wild in Oak Park on Sept. 5, 2008.

How did Sayre recognize the bird on the newspaper's front page?

Kalypso had an injury to several of her primary flight feathers on her right wing. Additionally, her feet had undergone extensive treatment due to severe oil damage. As a result of some serious deep scrubbing, her feet were much lighter than those of the average hawk, and this is where the story becomes interesting.

MONICA SAYRE Special to The Acorn FREE—After being nursed back to health by falconer Stephanie Sayre, Kalypso is living in the nearby hills. The hawk often comes to roost near the Sayre home but does not land on Sayre's arm now that the bird is living in the wild. Notice the identifiable white talons Fellow falconers monitoring the area in which Kalypso was trapped noted that as many as 10 juvenile red-tails did not survive their encounter with the oil. When Kalypso was caught, she had very dark, oil-stained talons. Sayre wiped the claws gently using Dove liquid soap, an agent commonly used to clean birds who are found covered with oil.

Oil often causes extensive damage not visible on the surface. The oil can burn through the skin and lead to nerve damage. It can wreak havoc on deeper tissue. After a while, the tissue begins to necrose (die).

One of Kalypso's talons and a second nail needed to be amputated to prevent further damage. The surgery was performed by veterinarian Atilla Molnar of Calabasas. At the time, it wasn't clear as to whether Kalypso could ever be released to the wild.

JOSHUA LESSER/Special to The Acorn BIRD OF PREY—Joshua Lesser's picture of Kalypso on the hunt was named The Acorn's 2009 Photograph of the Year. The shot captures a dramatic moment in nature played out on a suburban slumpstone wall. Stephanie Sayre recognized the bird. Could she fend for herself?

Due to Kalypso's injury she needed to be restrained multiple times daily for treatment, and she became resentful and more aggressive.

After the hawk's feet healed, Sayre continued to train her. The bird readily went after her food and it soon became obvious that it was time for her to move on.

Birds of prey are normally released in the same area in which they are trapped, but for safety reasons Sayre decided to release Kalypso near Medea Creek in Oak Park.The area was scoped to make sure there was ample rabbit prey, water and places to hide.

Kalypso, which means "she who conceals," was given her name because hawks are masters of camouflage. She instantly disappeared into her new surroundings.

About six weeks after Sayre released Kalypso, the bird found her way back to a neighbor's yard on Fairgrange Drive in the Lake Lindero neighborhood.

Sayre followed her with binoculars and offered some food to see if it was really her. She came down to grab the food and immediately took off, but returned everyday for several weeks. During that time the hawk would swoop close enough to fetch her food, but not get caught. She took the free meals and ate them in a nearby tree. Kalypso today can often be seen hovering near the intersection of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Lake Lindero Drive. Look for the telltale white talons.

She hasn't completely returned to the fist because she is free and, as John Denver would say, "as free as the wind-swell . . . joyful and loving in letting it be."

The story above was provided by Stephanie and Monica Sayre and edited by John Loesing.