Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center: The Story of Cloud the Red-Tailed Hawk

One fateful day, the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center (EAWRC) received a call about a large bird in distress on the side of Montauk Highway near Stephen Hands Path in East Hampton. Jane Gill, an EAWRC board member and dedicated animal rescuer of 20 years, responded to the call.

The situation looked grim when Gill couldn’t locate the bird. After searching for a considerable amount of time, she nearly gave up, but decided to call her long-time friend Keith Douglas to aid in the search. The pair looked diligently around the area until, finally, they found the bird in critical condition.

“We just didn’t give up until we found him,” Gill recalls, thankful their efforts paid off. If the rescuers hadn’t persevered, the red-tailed hawk wouldn’t have lived to become Cloud, the EAWRC ambassador and educational program favorite.

Brutally shot from the sky and then hit by a car after landing into oncoming highway traffic, Cloud’s story is unique. His rehabilitation period was long, yet bright, and after six to eight months of frequent attention his recovery proved successful. After completing rehabilitation, the wildlife center delivered him to the Raptor Trust, a wild bird rehabilitation center located in Morris County, New Jersey, to test his flying capabilities ahead of the flight test that would determine if he could be released back into the wild.

Unfortunately, despite his phenomenal recovery, Cloud had not regained the ability to fly; he failed his flight test. He was then returned to the EAWRC, where he has resided ever since.

Cloud was an adult when he arrived at the wildlife center, unlike most EAWRC birds that arrive as fledglings, so it took him longer to acclimate to crowds. “Cloud was originally the bird no one wanted to work with because he was super wild,” says Ulrika Parash, a volunteer raptor handler and Cloud’s now-favorite person. “Cloud displayed baiting, or jumpy behavior, so he wasn’t great to take on programs until our bonding day (in 2018),” Parash continues. She was the first person to recognize Cloud’s longing to feel safe and protected; the two to formed a strong bond, and Parash now oversees his handling during educational programs.

Though Cloud’s baiting has largely abated, he occasionally displays a mantling behavior toward Parash, spreading his wings in front of her like wild hawks typically do to hide food or a mate from competitors. Since Parash is neither food nor mate to Cloud, she believes that his mantling is a “form of bonding, affection or protection.”

Cloud did find a mate at EAWRC — Sonia, another red-tailed hawk who could not be released after rehabilitation. Sharing the same enclosure, the pair fell in love, and when Sonia laid eggs, Cloud prepared a lovely nest for her.

Sadly, in December 2022 after showing clear signs of oncoming death, Sonia had to be euthanized. Following this, “Cloud was very sad,” Gill notes.

“He hates going near the hospital where Sonia died. He gets nervous and baits when he’s near it,” Parash adds. Yet, despite his loss of love and lack of flight, Cloud lives a happy life as one of the center’s treasured educational birds.

As one of the most intelligent bird species, Cloud loves to show his many unique interests. Other than rat filet (his favorite food) and showering under a cold hose, Cloud loves listening to music, shares Gill. During each feeding or cleaning time, she’ll engage the hawk with the sounds of one of her favorite artists, Paul Winter, who composes music that interweaves the sounds of nature and wildlife into new-age jazz stylings.

Some of Cloud’s favorite Paul Winter Consort tunes include “Morning Sun” and “Icarus;” and it’s not just Cloud that appreciates the music. Fellow EAWRC ambassador Vlad the turkey vulture often joins in on the fun as well. The two of them will fly across their enclosures to perch on a branch closest to the music, enjoying it together.

Cloud, with the help of the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center, has not only survived, but thrived as an ambassador and educational program bird. His story is truly inspirational. For a bird who cannot fly, he continues to soar in his unique life.

The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center is located at 228 West Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays. It can be reached at 631-728-4200, and animal emergencies can be reported at 631-728-WILD (9453). The center is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. seven days weekly. Visit wildliferescuecenter.org for additional information.