Rare Falcon Found with Broken Wing

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Wausau Downtown Airport, WI

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Updated: 7:04 PM Jun 15, 2008 Rare Falcon Found with Broken Wing For bird watchers, knowing a wild Peregrine falcon has decided to call Wausau home is exciting news, but things quickly changed when it was spotted Wednesday with a broken wing. Posted: 2:00 PM Jun 15, 2008 Reporter: Amy Pflugshaupt Email Address: apflugshaupt@wsaw.com Rare, Injured Falcon Being Treated in Antigo

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For bird watchers, knowing a wild Peregrine falcon has decided to call Wausau home is exciting news, but things quickly changed when it was spotted Wednesday with a broken wing.

The falcon was found along the west bank of the Wisconsin River before it was then taken to the Raptor Education Group in Antigo.

“He probably ran into something, one of the hazards of living in an urban environment,” said Marge Gibson, co-director of the Raptor Education Group. “If you happen to be diving at 250 miles per hour you know it’s hard to avoid everything.”

Don Gibson, the other director of the Raptor Education Group, says they won’t be putting a cast on the falcon’s wing. He says they’ll probably just restrict its movement for a couple weeks.

Both Marge and Don expect the bird to make a full recovery in six to eight weeks and then be returned to the wild.

Peregrine falcons are rare to Wisconsin with only a few dozen actually living in the wild.

Bird enthusiasts have been trying to bring back the species to the area, and since this particular bird doesn’t have a band on its leg, they believe he is from somewhere in Canada.

If you would like to help the falcon’s recovery by making a donation, you can call (715) 623-4015.