In April 2019, this very young Red-tailed Hawk was found with his deceased sibling by the side of the road in Washington County, Virginia. The two nestling birds fell out of their nearby nest after a storm; Rowan had a fractured leg and an injured left eye. He was taken to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke for treatment and transferred to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in May 2019.
Unfortunately, the trauma to the hawk’s left eye caused permanent vision loss, preventing Rowan's release back to the wild. Center staff started training the hawk in June to become a member of the education ambassador team; training is ongoing and the outreach staff hopes to start this hawk’s outreach career this winter! The hawk’s naming rights were auctioned at the November 2019 Gala; Rowan was the winning bidder's choice. Rowan is an Irish/Scottish name meaning "little red one."