Green Chimneys Student Releases Rehabilitated Hawk

Individualized Approach Takes Student from Struggle to Success

November 19, 2024

February 2, 2017

When an injured bird has been nurtured back to health at Green Chimneys, we pause before it’s released to wish it well.

It’s a tradition that repeats itself, time and again, as we bid adieu to healed wildlife, as well as Green Chimneys students and residents who are ready for the next step in their journeys. The bittersweet preparedness of life beyond Green Chimneys. Typically we gather as a community to wish the child well. We recently came together for a symbolic bird release to celebrate one child’s big moment.

Gyrfalcon

Crowned the best for falconry in medieval times, gyrfalcons were once reserved for kings. As the largest falcon in the world, with exquisite plumage ranging from bright white to deep charcoal, gyrs are revered for their powerful skill of flight. Their long wings make hunting waterfowl from 3,000-feet-high a feasible and fantastical feat. This falcon was flown in the sport of falconry for several years.