A rare peregrine falcon that is being nursed back to health in North Texas after running into trouble migrating home to Winnipeg, Canada is recovering quickly.
A woman brought the falcon to the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Hutchins after finding it on the ground near the corner of Knox Avenue and U.S. Highway 75, not far from Southern Methodist University.
Kathy Rogers, founder of the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, suspects the 5-year-old falcon, nicknamed Beatrix, was hit by hail during a storm in mid-March.
"There's no visible injuries, there was no blood in her mouth or head injury of any kind," said Rogers. "Usually you see a little blood somewhere if they get hit by a car or something like that or hit a window."
"It's with her eyes," Rogers added. "She doesn't have full vision, which will come back, but it's just going to be a matter of time."
However, on Monday morning, veterinary ophthalmologist examined Beatrix and determined her eyesight is now perfect.
The rehab center tells NBC 5 they plan to keep her for another 10 days or more to allow her to build up her strength before releasing her.
“She really, really wants to leave. She really wants to be in Canada,” said Amanda Thomas, with the Rogers Wildlife Center.
"She knows that’s where she should be, and she’s not there,” said Thomas.
A band on Beatrix's leg led Rogers to the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project in Manitoba, which says Beatrix is something of a local celebrity there.
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"We have webcams on that particular nest site, so people are able to watch and watch her grow up," said Tracy Maconachie, project coordinator with the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project.
"We had a contest to name the chicks and her name was chosen from amongst a whole bunch of names for her," said Maconachie.
The people in Winnipeg have been following her recovery, and are thrilled Beatrix has regained her eyesight.
“This is great news. If she doesn’t need to require additional rehab, then yeah, she’s almost good to go,” said Maconachie.
On Wednesday, Beatrix was moved to an outdoor flight cage to spread her wings and build strength for the 1,300-mile flight home.
"She's ready to go. I mean, she thinks she is. She's frantic," said Rogers. "I just want to make sure she can make it. That's the whole thing."
Beatrix is now feeding twice a day to build her strength.
The Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has already raised more than $1,500 in donations on a GoFundMe page to help care for the falcon and help her return home.
