Stella the hawk is a survivor.

She’s blind in one eye from a car crash. She has a chest full of gunshot pellets from a close encounter in West Virginia.

And now, after a tree fell on her home at the Oregon Ridge Nature Center in Cockeysville, Stella is on the loose.

Baltimore bird lovers are on the lookout for Stella, who is wearing distinctive leather cuffs, in case it wasn’t already clear that she’s one tough bird.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

“We’re hoping she gets hungry and comes back,” said Bob Smith, director of the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. “We’ve searched around the tree and we’re pretty sure she flew away.”

A falling tree damaged a portion of the Oregon Ridge Nature Center over the weekend, breaking open an enclosure where Stella the hawk was kept.
A falling tree damaged a portion of the Oregon Ridge Nature Center over the weekend, breaking open an enclosure where Stella the hawk was kept. (Courtesy of Oregon Ridge Nature Center.)

Pushed by stiff winds, the tree crashed into the nature center sometime late Saturday or early Sunday, ripping a hole in the roof of an auditorium used for birthday parties and educational programs, Smith said.

“We got somewhat lucky that the bulk of the tree missed the center by 2 feet,” he said. Although the nature center will require substantial work, the building was open Monday. Workers had cleared away the tree by afternoon and staff were making plans to repair the roof.

The tree just missed an enclosure in which owls are kept, but sliced open the pen that had been Stella’s home since she arrived at the nature center in the fall of 2021.

Smith said that it did not appear that Stella had been injured by the falling tree, but he was concerned that she would not be able to hunt.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Stella was hit by a car within months of hatching and was taken to the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia in West Virginia. There, veterinarians discovered that Stella’s tawny chest feathers hid several gunshot pellets, which restrict her movements. She is also blind in her right eye from the crash.

Due to these impairments, veterinarians deemed Stella “non-releasable” and brought her to Oregon Ridge, where she lived a comfortable existence in the shade of the nature center. Visitors would admire Stella’s powerful curved beak, restless pale green eyes and sharp talons.

Park rangers would attach leather cords, known as jesses, to Stella’s anklets to keep her restrained during educational programs. The brown anklets differentiate Stella from wild red-tailed hawks.

Smith asked that if anyone spots Stella, they contact the nature center.

“We’re hoping she either learns to hunt quickly or she returns,” he said.

Julie Scharper

julie.scharper@thebaltimorebanner.com

Julie Scharper

Julie Scharper is an enterprise reporter for The Baltimore Banner. Her work ranges from investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and abuse to light-hearted features. Baltimore Magazine awarded Scharper a Best in Baltimore in 2023 for her series exposing a toxic work culture within the Maryland Park Service.

More from Julie Scharper

Baltimore Catholics plead to keep churches open at packed ‘listening session’

Want your Catholic church to stay open? Here’s your chance to speak out.

More From The Banner

Photo illustration of cream-colored silhouette of man’s head and shoulders against red textured background with map of Baltimore City and surrounding areas. At bottom of image it says “Missing Person.”

Missing in Baltimore City: Facebook group helps families search for lost loved ones

Unaccompanied migrant children come to Maryland at a higher rate than any other state

Johns Hopkins ‘free Palestine’ protest remains peaceful, but tensions run high

Ft. Carroll as seen during a CBF Tour of the EPA Superfund Site on 3/25/24 in Baltimore, MD.

Baltimore’s oddest island: Key Bridge shines new light on abandoned fort