We rescued an injured red-tailed hawk today.

The kids and I headed out early this morning to go to my mom’s. Not too long into the trip, I noticed a beautiful raptor sitting on the side of the road in the grass. Being the hip home schooling mom that I am, I always take the opportunity to check out interesting critters we see along the way, so I turned the car around to show the kids the hawk.

When I pulled up next to it, I knew something was wrong. The raptor didn’t fly away, didn’t hardly budge even when I opened the car door to get a better look. Not good. Plus this beautiful bird was a few steps away from a busy two-lane highway. It didn’t stand a chance, but what to do?

I immediately thought of The Raptor Trust, a local bird rescue sanctuary with the expert knowledge to treat this beauty. It was about an hour away, not too far, but how to get the hawk there? The hawk’s beak was impressive, not to mention its’ talons half hidden in the grass.

And I needed a box. All I had in the car was a diaper bag.

I called the bird rescue folks, leaving a message for them to call me back on my cell.

By this time, another car had stopped. Did he have a box? No. Just when it looked like the bird could not be helped, two men on their way somewhere in a work van with ladders on top stopped see what the fuss was about.

“Do you have a box?” Seems like a silly question to ask strangers, but I wasn’t giving up. And my kids were with me. Mom’s going to get a box for the hawk, guys. Sit tight.

You can guess know how the story ends. Not only did Van Guys have a large cardboard box, but leather gloves great for catching a scared raptor. I volunteered a skirt (fished from the back of my car intended to go into the Salvation Army bin) as a make-shift blanket. A state trooper held back traffic as the red-tail ran across Rt. 12, only to be gently captured by one of the men with the gray, Lands’ End fabric. My three eldest children, spellbound by the scene, watched from the roadside. Poor toddler Lucy still strapped in her car seat.

I wish I had a picture to post, but I didn’t think to use the camera on my cell.

I’m tagging this “learning,” for obvious reasons. Our red-tail is a youngin’, not old enough for the distinctive red tail feathers, a woman at The Raptor Trust told me when we dropped the hawk off. It’s very emaciated, she said, but no wing problems. Hopefully the hawk will be set free soon after recovering. I’m calling at the end of the week to follow up. Just because. It’s like she’s our red-tail now.

I’m also tagging this post “Believing” for the answered prayer, “Lord, bring us a box.” I love the way He added the leather gloves, don’t you?