It’s time to look back on 2025! Check our blog between Christmas and New Year’s for a variety of stories and memories of 2025 from the staff of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
A Saturday at the front desk started like any other day — a few phone calls, a few patient admissions, and a FedEx delivery. The FedEx truck rolled up to the front door like most delivery trucks do, and I remember saying out loud to my coworker, “Oh, it’s just FedEx. They won’t have an animal.” I then continued working on entering paperwork from the morning’s previous admissions.
A few minutes passed, and our front desk cell phone pinged with a text: “Hi. I have a baby hawk that’s injured.” Not seeing any other vehicles outside besides the delivery truck, I texted the mystery person back and asked if they were at the front door, to which they replied, “Yes.” I made my way out to the truck, and the driver handed me a box with the bird inside.
I took the box back to our hospital and, upon opening it, found the angriest, loudest American Kestrel fledgling! The kestrel protested with loud screeching the entire time I moved it from the box into a crate. Once the fledgling was settled, I went back out to speak with the FedEx driver who had rescued the bird. The driver explained that the kestrel had been found in one of their warehouses after heavy windstorms and that it wouldn’t fly.
Fast-forward to that afternoon. Our Wildlife Rehab Supervisor, Alex, came up to the front desk to let us know that the fledgling was perfectly healthy, and that it was crucial the bird be released back where it was found. I offered to release the kestrel, since it would be on my way home, and at 5:00 p.m., I loaded the fledgling into my car and headed to the FedEx Distribution Center.
When I arrived, I found a small cluster of trees next to the distribution center, along with some open fields. It was the perfect spot to release a small fledgling — the bird could take cover or take off, depending on how they felt. I placed the carrier on the ground and opened the door, fully expecting the kestrel to zoom out as quickly as possible. But then I waited … and waited … and waited. The kestrel didn’t move.
I peeked inside the crate, and the fledgling stood frozen in the carrier, which is a completely normal response, but it did surprise me, since the bird had been so feisty earlier. After about 10 minutes, I gently tipped the carrier so that the kestrel finally hopped out onto the grass. I backed away, and in the split second I glanced down at the ground, the fledgling took off running into the trees. I could hear the bird’s little feet moving deeper into the brush.
On my way back to my car, I heard the calls of other American Kestrels in the area. The little fledgling was back home.
— Sarah Driscoll, Front Desk Coordinator