Help with dead predator

[Harry Bochner]

A neighbor alerted us to the presence of this large dead bird at the end
of our driveway in Medford. By size I would guess it's a red-tail? (I'm
not very good at hawks.)

Anyway, can anyone recommend a good procedure of disposing of it? Is
there organization/lab that would want to test for cause of death? (West
Nile?)
Or should I just report it to local animal control?

We don't want to leave it sitting out over night, so I guess we'll try
to scoop it into a box, and put it in the shed over night ...

Thanks for any advice!

--
Harry
Please note new e-mail address: h...@hbochner.name


--
Harry

[Claire O'Neill]

Hi Harry,

Rat poison, such as anticoagulant rodenticides, are also a serious issue, severely affecting local raptor populations (red-tailed especially), and many other non-target species. You can log this sighting along with the photo using the Rat Poison Brigade, an open public citizen science project that empowers local communities [here]. Even if the case is not confirmed, entering it helps place the bird on the map as a potential case.

Please note this is not the resource page on the left, but you should be able to find links there to organizations that can help with proper disposal of the hawk.

If you prefer not to enter the sighting yourself, please consider sending me the date, address, and photo so I can log it for you. Every data point counts! 

Thanks! - Claire (aël/æl)
Earthwise Aware | President
Biodiversity & Climate Program Director
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[Harry Bochner]

Thanks, everyone! Besides the replies that have gone to the list, I've
also heard from Lorraine Kaplan and Paul Roberts. So now I have several
contacts, and will report back when I've made progress.

[Rekha Murthy]

Laura Kiesel of Save Arlington Wildlife has been tireless in advocating against SGARs. She often sends dead wildlife for testing, and accepts donations, too. 

You can find her on FB or here: https://savearlingtonwildlife.org/what-to-do-if-you-find-injured-or-dead-wildlife/

PS - Claire, thanks for the Brigade link. I didn't know about that.

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[Kathy T]

Hi Harry,

My understanding is best to call Mass Dept of Public Health and they will direct you on what to do, WNV, AI, rodenticide, trauma, chronic disease, and many other possibilities: 

'Any unexpected deaths or other signs of sick birds should be reported immediately to the Division of Animal Health at 617-626-1795 or through this online reporting form.'

Here is link to form, though mentions 5 or more deaths in one area or if it's one of three species:

https://www.mass.gov/forms/report-observations-of-dead-wild-birds

I'll reach out to my vet colleague at Mass Dept. of Public Health and will report back if I learn anything new. 

Best,

Kathy Tuxbury

Somerville

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[Kathy T]

Hi Harry,

Heard back from my Mass Dept of Public Health contact. She reports they typically are not testing dead birds for West Nile Virus anymore 'because the mosquito surveillance does a better job since mosquitos don't fly as far as birds. I wouldn't be surprised if it were WNV related though, there is plenty around.'

This doesn't help you much on the disposition of this hawk, though may be helpful for the future. 

Kathy Tuxbury

Somerville

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[Harry Bochner]

Update on the dead red-tail from our driveway.

Claire O'Neill put me in touch with Jim Joyce of Cape Ann Wildlife, who
came by to look at the bird.
He didn't find any injuries, or tell-tale signs of rodenticide
poisoning. It was somewhat emaciated, and one of its legs was at a
strange angle: possibly an old break that healed badly.
So maybe the bad leg interfered with its hunting, and it starved to
death. But that's speculation.

We're hoping to get Medford Animal Control to take the body off our
hands, so it doesn't have to wait for trash day ...

On 9/7/25 20:12, Harry Bochner wrote:

[Claire O'Neill]

Thanks, Harry, for the update. I updated the brigade's record accordingly here to capture that this case is not likely AR-related. Still important to have that kind of data, for instance, to AR case ratio and whatnot, data is better than no data :-)

Thanks, Harry, for the update. I revised the brigade's record (here) to capture that this case is not likely AR-related. I am glad I was able to log that case, thanks to you. It's definitely important to capture this kind of data, since it helps with ratios of AR to non-AR cases and overall patterns. After all, data is always better than no data :-)

Cheers! - Claire (aël/æl)

Earthwise Aware | President
Biodiversity & Climate Program Director
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