SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) \u2014 A Utah hawk took an unexpected summer vacation, spending nearly 100 days at a country club before finally returning home.<\/p>\n
And apparently, he has expensive taste.<\/p>\n
Meet Stax, a 14-year-old Harris\u2019s hawk who lives at HawkWatch International, where he serves as a raptor ambassador, helping educate the public about birds of prey.<\/p>\n
Stax came to the organization after an injury left him unable to return to the wild. But on June 29, he slipped free during routine handling and disappeared.<\/p>\n
MORE | Eye On Utah<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was, I mean, scary,\u201d said Renata Vazquez, education programs manager at HawkWatch International. \u201cOne, because we\u2019ve been feeding him every day. So, we weren\u2019t sure where he was gonna go or how far he was gonna go.\u201d<\/p>\n
As it turns out, Stax hadn\u2019t gone very far.<\/p>\n
With the help from the local community, HawkWatch learned in July that its missing bird had taken up residence at the Salt Lake Country Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until July that we figured out where he was and it was thanks to the community,\u201d Vazquez said. \u201cAnd to Colson at the Salt Lake Country Club that was like, \u2018Is this your hawk?\u2019 And we\u2019re like, \u2018Yes, it is.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what exactly does a hawk do during a summer at the country club?<\/p>\n
Apparently, a little bit of everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying with sticks. He was enjoying the breeze, I think,\u201d said Call Vandeveegaete, an educator with HawkWatch International who helped bring Stax home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had heard that he had come down to check out some of the golf balls on the green,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While Stax appeared to be enjoying his extended stay, his caretakers were growing concerned.<\/p>\n
Winter was approaching, and Harris\u2019s hawks aren\u2019t native to Utah.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are not able to sustain the winter as well as other native birds,\u201d Vazquez said.<\/p>\n
Vandeveegaete was also concerned about Stax\u2019s ability to survive on his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was worried about him finding enough food to support himself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Determined to bring him home, Vandeveegaete set up food traps and trail cameras to track the hawk\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a good idea of him when he was taking his morning meal and when he was taking his evening meal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Then, on Oct. 6, after 99 days on the loose, Stax\u2019s country club staycation finally came to an end.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just getting up to check the trap at a regular interval, and I was very surprised to see him in there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The successful rescue was an exciting moment for the HawkWatch team.<\/p>\n
When Vazquez arrived to pick up Stax, she was relieved to discover he still remembered her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to get him, and he immediately stepped up on the glove,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, he hasn\u2019t forgotten his human connections. But yeah, it\u2019s good to have him back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stax is now safely back at HawkWatch International, where he has heat lamps to keep him warm through the winter and a familiar role educating the community about birds of prey.<\/p>\n
As for whether he\u2019ll attempt another getaway?<\/p>\n
Vazquez admits he\u2019s quite the escape artist.<\/p>\n
For now, though, the country club\u2019s most unusual summer guest has officially checked out.<\/p>\n
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