Several months ago, a week after the release of his bobcat brother Minime, we released Edge. Edge and Minime both came to us as captive-held kittens. They were devoted to each other, as most young bobcat siblings tend to be. They traveled around their pen shoulder to shoulder, almost as if glued together. Edge was a large, beautiful, healthy kitten with the face of a tiger, while poor little Minime was small, weak, and sickly, with a perpetual dark fur frown on his expressive little face.
As kittens they were inseparable, playing, eating, and sleeping together. Edge soon grew into a huge, strapping young juvenile, with little Minime far behind in growth. For what Minime lacked in size he made up for in aggression, and the brothers soon had to be put in separate cages. I put then in 10 by 50-foot side-by-side runs. They could still play and converse with one another but could not kill each other. Breaking up two fighting bobcats of any sex or size is something I would rather avoid.
After the release of Minime (see August issue of LareDOS, page 64), it was Edge's turn for freedom. We released him in a very isolated area full of wildlife near a nice large pond. He was not happy with caging and the long bumpy trip but soon regained his dignity and took off into the thicket.
We continued to take food to both bobcats every few days for about a month. I did the Minime feedings while Robert took the Edge feedings, as the release sites are about 40 miles apart. I have never seen any signs of Minime, but Robert was able to witness a very odd scene in Edge territory.
We were no longer leaving food but occasionally checking the sites for footprints, scat, etc. Robert was having a little walk about in Edge's release area when a mother coyote tore out of the bushes in front of him. She was carrying a young pup in her mouth and heading at breakneck speed down the road. A very large male bobcat shot out of the thicket, hot on her heels, and proceeded to chase the coyote down the road. Robert watched them until they disappeared out of sight. I guess Edge has claimed his territory.
We have some new additions to our rescue facility. Two nestling Harris hawks were brought in after two weeks of captive care and an improper diet. The couple who was trying to raise the hawklings themselves saw that something was terribly wrong with the younger of the two. He was suddenly unable to stand and refused to eat. Luckily they rushed them to us in the nick of time.
The nestlings were on the verge of severe calcium deficiency. I put them on an all-rodent diet with additional calcium and vitamin supplements. The elder female was in fair condition but her younger brother was so weak that he had to be force fed for almost two weeks. They still had a bit of the fluffy white down on the top of their heads. In the early morning light the fluff had an almost surrealistic effect, like large magical snowflakes.
We christened the pair Fay and Gustavo after the two hurricanes that were busy gaining strength, and like their namesakes they too gained strength and developed. I kept them in a nest box (a towel-lined laundry basket), putting them in an outside aviary during the day and inside the center at night. Fay flourished and soon Gustavo began to catch up. They are now flying and feeding on their own. Fay is able to catch and kill her own mice and I feel Gustavo will soon catch on.
Yesterday a game warden brought us an immature Swainson hawk that had supposedly hit a window. She seemed a bit dazed, and when I reached in to pull her out of the cage she surprised me with an outburst of baby cries. She sounded like a little nestling, not a large lady hawk. I realized she was probably on her first migration and was not long out of the nest. She was tired, hungry, and terrified. After a carefully examination I set her up in a hospital cage for the night. She was ravenous and ate well and didn't seem to have any signs of concussion or any other injuries.
Robert called me early this morning on his mobile phone. He was out on a lease doing his gauging route. Just before dawn he had come upon about a hundred immature and adult migrating red-tailed and Swainson hawks. They were perched in the trees getting ready for the day. I hope our new addition can regain her strength and join them soon.

(The Zapata Wildlife Rescue Center can be contacted by mail at 6812 STOP 68A, Zapata, TX 78076-2913, by phone at (956) 765-8526, or e-mail at dreams@zapata.border.net. Those interested in visiting should call ahead for directions.)