On Wednesday, Paul Crist, right, met Tim O'Day of Campbell Environmental Center at Cedar Beach to release the peregrine falcon that Crist found injured in his yard last month.

October 5 was not a typical Friday for Sheridan residents Paul and Sally Christ. When Sally returned home from work that day, she noticed a strange sight on the side of Route 39 between her home and her neighbor’s: a large bird “about the size of a small cat,” according to Paul.

“I joined her outside, and we took a look at it,” said Paul. “We could see it was trying to fly but not getting anywhere.” Unsure of what kind of bird it was and how to help, the concerned couple made several calls, and the state parks department provided the names of wildlife rehabilitators. “None of them were located in Chautauqua County,” Paul explained, “and the closest was Tim O’Day. I called him, and he said if we could get a blanket over it and get it in a box, he could come down and look.”

O’Day, a retired biology professor and director and founder of the Campbell Environmental Center in Erie County, has received an increasing number of calls regarding injured birds in the Dunkirk area, and was willing to make the 60-mile trek to the Crist house. “The bird went into the ditch, and I was able to put a beach towel around him and put him in a box,” Paul said.

Upon arrival, O’Day identified the bird as a peregrine falcon, which has been an endangered species in New York since the 1960s when the population was decimated by widespread use of DDE pesticides. Although the population began increasing after the 1980s when young captive falcons were released into the state, there were still only 50 pairs of peregrine falcons state-wide in 2003.

O’Day took the falcon back to Erie County with him, where Dr. Laura Wade, board-certified bird specialist at Specialized Care for Avian & Exotic Pets in Clarence, x-rayed and casted the falcon, who had a broken shoulder blade. “He had to go through a progression of steps to learn how to fly again,” O’Day explained. “He was in intensive care for almost three weeks, which restricted movement to the wing so that the bone could heal. We removed the bandages and started going through slow flight protocol and a feeding regimen. It’s a gradual progression until it gets its strength back. He’s been flying around for the past several days, and it looks like he’s going to make it,” O’Day told the OBSERVER on Monday.

“We find that falcons always migrate through Dunkirk in October,” O’Day explained. “They fly all the way to Georgia and down to the Caribbean. … This one was migrating from the north and was probably hit with some utility equipment, a power line, a power tower or a wind turbine. I didn’t see it happen, so I can’t make that statement for sure.”

The timing of the falcon’s release was well-planned by O’Day, who took into consideration this week’s windy weather, the current migration pattern of other falcons and the forecasted snow. “Flying 60 miles a day, easily, will get him out of western New York and on his way. We really wanted to get him released before the snow comes this Saturday and Sunday,” said O’Day.

At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, O’Day met the Crists at Cedar Beach behind the former NRG power plant. There, the Crists were reunited with the rare bird they rescued, and were part of the special moment when he was released. Facing east, O’Day held the cage on his shoulder, as Paul opened the cage. For a moment, the startled falcon sat in the cage, peering out into the breezy morning. “Go ahead and tap on the back of the cage,” O’Day directed Paul.

Seconds later, the freed falcon flew toward Lake Erie and then back towards NRG. The Crists, their friends and O’Day nervously watched the healed bird negotiate the strong breeze off the water and fly out of sight. “I’d preferred if it wasn’t so windy,” O’Day admitted. “But he’s going to be OK.”

O’Day is grateful for what he refers to as a “network” of area bird lovers and naturalists who have connected community members with him and Campbell Environmental Center. “When people find a bird that needs help, they can call the state DEC rehab line, which directs calls to me. The Bautista family, who are local people, have also been really great about putting people in touch with me,” O’Day noted.

Importantly, time is of the essence when one finds an injured bird. A prompt call to the DEC or to O’Day at (716)982-1380 or (716)226-4400 can be a matter of life and death. “The key thing that Paul did was that he got the bird, called me, and we got it to Dr. Wade within 24 hours to be diagnosed and treated,” O’Day explained. “If it hadn’t been done in time, the bird would have had to be euthanized or kept in captivity the entire time.”

O’Day hopes that the Dunkirk area will recognize its importance to bird populations throughout the region and do more to promote it. “The importance of Dunkirk is that it’s a gateway to a bird-watching trail that goes all the way up to Niagara Falls,” O’Day pointed out. “It’s not marketed or promoted here in Dunkirk enough. This has been a stronghold for eagles and a lot of migratory birds up here. There is definitely a concern in the Dunkirk area that wants to rescue birds and it’s growing…if it wasn’t for that, basically these birds would just sit by the side of the road and starve to death. The whole idea is to just stop the suffering and take care of the wildlife.”