A Year in Hawk Repair
We received a taxidermy mount of a red-tailed hawk over a year ago--its proprietor reluctantly admitting that it had sat in a garage for an unknown number of years. I didn't doubt that. The faded feathers, talons, and glass eyes were all coated in a thick layer of dust and the driftwood piece underfoot had apparently acted as a foundation for spider webs as well. In addition to this unfortunate yet not completely uncommon state of cleanliness, the hawk lacked toes. But today, after working on repairs here and there as time has allowed me to do so, the hawk is finally ready.
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| The hawk will soon have a home as it gazes down at children at play in the Museum's new Curiosity Center! |
I remember feeling reluctant to take on such a laborious project. At first glance, many new specimens may appear to be lost causes and this hawk was no exception. I began with less intensive steps. I first inspected it for signs of pests, tested whether it had been prepared with toxic arsenic, and removed the large accumulation of dust. I then took photos documenting its state and sent them to mount-repair-extraordinaire, John Kudlas. He was to arrive for summer work at the Museum just a couple months later, and I knew that he would have a game plan for the hawk.
The hawk was first repositioned so that visitors could experience it in flight rather than perched on an old piece of driftwood. We bent a wire which ran through the hawk's neck to allow it to gaze downward, then used all of our strength to cut much thicker wires jutting out from its foot pads. That redirected our attention to the disfigurement of its feet. Two toes were missing, so John and I embarked on a surgical-like procedure.
Most staff and volunteers are interested to learn that the hawk has evolved into a compilation of parts from two hawks. With such unattractive injuries, we decided to completely remove the hawk's left leg. From it we retrieved a toe to fix to the right foot, and the remaining parts are saved for future use. I distinctly remember the sight and smell of the bandsaw running as John hunched over it with the leg, and am glad that we delegated the task to him. We adhered the toe and then fixed a new, foreign leg where the original had been removed. After that particularly unnerving task, I allowed myself a long period away from the hawk before moving on to painting.
My work on the hawk continued and ended just this past week. With an approaching deadline, I completed the hawk's restoration by lastly correcting the color which had faded from its tissues. Specifically, the feet no longer retained the same color as a live hawk--and a primary objective of taxidermy preservation is to replicate an animal's living appearance. The work required nearly a full day of painting as I attempted to mimic the correct color and texture, but I am pleased with the results. It was a tedious task, but somebody had to do it!
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| Thick wires through the hawk's feet were cut away as they would no longer serve a purpose when the hawk was to be hung by a wire. |
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| A toe was missing from each foot. This would not do at the Museum! |
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| I referred to photos of the Museum's live red-tailed hawk, Carson, to help me fix the coloring of the hawk taxidermy mount. |
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| Above, the hawk's feet before painting. Notice that the foot on the left side of the photo had a toe attached with adhesive and clay. A blade was used to carve out some texture so that it would more closely resemble a foot. |