VIDEO: Hawk healed and back home in B.C. skies

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Shauna Frankelson walks her dog, Cinder, in the same neighbourhood daily and so far there’s been no sighting of Alan.

That’s what she named a red-tailed hawk she found at the start of 2026 soaking wet with rain and cowering by a fence in Brookswood at the Langley-Surrey border.

Alan was released in late August.

“From this bedraggled broken-winged little thing crawling around on the ground, to be able to fly like that again is just incredible,” she said.

Since his return to the wild, Frankelson has been keeping watch but hasn’t caught a glimpse.

“I named him Alan, after Alan Alda, Hawkeye in MASH,” she said. “We’re like kind of joking around, walking around going, ‘Alan, Alan, Alan’.”

When she found him in January, Frankelson contacted OWL, which cares for sick and injured birds. A broken bone was sticking out of the skin of the injured hawk which has likely been hit be a car. OWL takes in about 55 animals from the Langley area annually and more than 670 in total last year from throughout B.C.

She had checked in on the bird over the months and recently OWL phoned her with the news that he was ready to head back into the wild in the area where he was found.

“I was so excited [when OWL called]. And so so grateful for everything that they did for him. I know a lot of people are just like, ‘Oh, it’s just a bird’, but it was really special,” she said. “They did amazing with him.”

Frankelson was invited to be present at the bird’s release, having the honour of opening the enclosure so he could fly off into nearby trees.

“He was so feisty. He wanted out of that carrier,” she said.

Frankelson called the farmer where the release was to take place, Tyler Heppel, to ensure it was okay to drive her vehicle onto the field and he ended up asking to attend the event.

Frankelson was surprised at how emotional Alan’s homecoming felt.

“I got pretty choked up, and I was like, no, it’s just the dust in my eyes, I swear,” she said with a chuckle. “…just seeing him fly brought the tears to the eyes.”

Tips for dealing with sick or injured wildlife

Call the Conservation Officer Service’s 24/7 Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277 if the animal appears dangerous.

For most sick, injured, or dead wildlife:

• Take photos or a video of the wildlife for assessment

• Note the location of the wildlife

• Do not handle the animal

It is illegal to possess live or dead wildlife in British Columbia without a permit.

See the Wildlife Rehabilitators’ Network of B.C. to determine which group to contact based on the animal and the region.