Raptor Education Group, Inc.

09/04/2026

Massive Hook and Rubber Lures Revealed Within Double-crested Cormorant

Our patients have heroes in their lives before they ever arrive at Raptor Education Group Inc. (REGI). Without that one person that notices there is a problem with a wild native bird, we may never know of its situation and cannot help it recover.
A few weeks ago, Matt Clawson and his niece came upon a gasping, dying Double-crested Cormorant near a dam in Mosinee, WI. Cormorants are not ducks or geese but are related to Frigatebirds and the interesting bird called Bo***es! Matt quickly captured the bird, wrapped it in a towel and with his niece holding it, drove the bird an hour to the REGI clinic in Antigo.

The initial examination revealed the bird had breathing distress, however there were no visible signs of injury. Additional testing and x-rays were done to understand what could be going on inside the bird.
The radiographs revealed the cormorant had swallowed a large fishing hook, covered with two realistic rubber crayfish lures. Cormorants eat crustaceans including crayfish. We theorize that our patient was hunting crayfish while swimming underwater and mistook the discarded hook with realistic rubber crayfish as food. Rather than a tasty lunch, the cormorant swallowed a death trap.

The hook was huge, relative to this size bird. The cormorant’s digestive system is specialized to handle whole prey, but “prey” means something that can be digested, not metal hooks and rubber crayfish. Somehow, this cormorant survived the hook and its attachments entering his digestive system and his intestine, however the entire object was stuck in the lower intestine, he could not evacuate or move it further. Surgical intervention was not possible.

We worked on this cormorant for several days using every known method as well as our own creativity, to get the hook and rubber attachments out of his intestine. Finally, on day six, after using cotton balls in the digestive tract and mineral oil strategically timed, we got the lifesaving result that was needed. Our clinic staff and the cormorant were thrilled when the patient evaculated a huge mass of cotton balls, the hook and two rubber crayfish. The mass was found resting in his water bowl one morning!

After a few days eating with great vigor, we confirmed his digestive system was 100% again, he was released with the admonishment to NOT EAT RUBBER CRAYFISH or HOOKS! We wish him the best as he continues his journey in life.

Once again our thanks to Matt Clawson and his niece for saving and transporting this patient to REGI for care. Another big thank you to Hilgers Baits in Antigo for supplying live minnows to our special fish eating patients. It takes a village to do this work, and we are so happy you are part of ours!

Please remember to safely discard fishing line, hooks, lures, and tackle. It can and does kill wildlife of all kinds. If you and your family want a project that will make a difference for wildlife, a great family project is to take a walk around rivers and lakes and look for discarded line and tackle left by others. It is important to safely dispose of this material in secure bags rather than open topped cans. This effort saves many wild birds and prevents suffering.
If you find a bird or other wild animal in distress, retrieve them if it is safe to do so and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.

08/28/2026

Earlier this year, we admitted a Lesser Scaup to our clinic after he was found unable to fly. His initial radiographs revealed a clear fracture of the ulna, one of the bones in the wing.

Wing fractures are a common injury we see in wild birds and can result from collisions with windows, vehicles, power lines, and other human-made structures. Luckily, this little duck was rescued quickly. We were able to stabilize his wing in the proper position and give the fracture time to heal. After weeks of care and rehabilitation, he made a full recovery and was released back into the wild earlier this summer!

Lesser Scaups are diving ducks, meaning they completely submerge themselves underwater in search of food. They primarily eat aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans, mollusks, and insects, along with some aquatic vegetation. During migration, they can often be spotted gathering in large groups on lakes and other open bodies of water. Males are recognizable by their glossy dark heads, pale sides, and blue-gray bills, while females are mostly brown with a distinctive white patch near the base of the bill.

This Lesser Scaup wasn't the only duck to get a second chance! We also admitted a male Mallard who arrived thin and unable to fly, although we found no obvious fractures. Sometimes all a patient needs is supportive care, good nutrition, and time to recover. After a little TLC, he was also ready to return to the wild.

And here's a fun Mallard fact: that classic, loud "quack" you probably associate with ducks is made by females; males have a much quieter, raspier call.

Watching patients like these swim away is one of the best parts of wildlife rehabilitation. Every release represents hours of care and another wild animal getting the chance to return where it belongs.

Thank you to everyone who supports REGI and makes second chances like these possible.

08/26/2026

Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts are a few of our incredible native bird species migrating south from WI right now! Keep them safe and keep your lights off PLEASE!

🚨 Lights Out Alert 🚨Tonight, an estimated 19 million birds will fly over Wisconsin!

We are urging everyone to turn off or dim non-essential outdoor lights and close window shades from 11 p.m.– 6 a.m. to help birds safely on their journey.

Fall migration is just starting to ramp up in the mid-west! Most birds migrate at night, and light pollution can disorient them, leading to deadly window collisions. Over the next few weeks, it's critical that we reduce outdoor lighting to ensure birds can safely pass through the state.

In addition to turning down the lights, you can also help by treating windows to prevent collisions. If you’re looking for a quick fix, draw lines or dots on the outside of your windows (no more than 2” apart) with a bar of soap, oil-based markers or tempura paint.

A few simple steps can save countless birds, conserve energy, and protect our night skies.

👉Share this post to spread the word!

Want migration alerts sent straight to your inbox? 📩
Sign up for BirdCast alerts through the link in the comments. BirdCast added 4 Wisconsin cities this year: Appleton, La Crosse, Madison, and Milwaukee. If you don’t live in one of those communities, choose the one closest to you.

BirdCast sends alerts only on the biggest migration nights; about 8–10 nights each season that combined account for roughly half of all migration traffic.

08/07/2026

Thanks to WBAY- Green Bay for covering the wildlife story following the recent Appleton/Menasha tornado and volunteer rescuer Jason Fowler.

Jason Fowler, who has about 6,000 Facebook followers who contact him about animal rescues, responded to the call and transported the owl to the Raptor Education Group in Antigo.

08/02/2026

RV Volunteer Friends (RVVF), Recently Spent Two Weeks at REGI, Volunteering Their Talents, Doing Construction, Painting, Repairing and Spreading Joy

The most wonderful people you will ever meet, comprise the organization, RV Volunteer Friends, (RVVF). The volunteer group of friends, are retired professionals. They travel thoughout the country in their RV's sharing their copious talents with non-profits, state parks, and historical sites, that need their help. In the two weeks they spent with us at REGI, these incredible volunteers made new doors for those areas that were damaged. They installed snow guards on the roofs of bird enclosures to protect our birds in the winter and repaired locks on chain link fencing, replaced a complicated wire fence, painted benches and repaired tables. Every thing they did was needed and required to keep our facility secure, however when they leave, we are always left with the realization that the presence of each and every one, is the greatest gift of all.
Check out this link
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Hrnq9FTc7/
Not only do they fill us with needed energy and gratutude, but while they are here in Antigo, support the economy of our city.

07/23/2026

🚧 ATTENTION 🚧

Rollwood Rd. (the road to our facility) is closed for construction today, July 23.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept patients today because vehicles cannot reach our facility. We expect the road to reopen tomorrow, July 24, and will resume normal operations then.

Thank you for your understanding and patience!

07/20/2026

To our wonderful REGI followers: we are currently working on updating our website domain to redirect to a brand-new shorter URL which will be used from here on out. This simplification will help with all sorts of things on the back-end of our operations and branding, but it does mean that our current website may experience brief moments of down time and may be inaccessible during this "migration"!

If you have trouble accessing our website and need help, give our clinic a call at 715-623-2563 and we will be happy to assist. We will keep you posted on when our updates are live and finalized.

07/10/2026

Our thanks to the Wood County Sherrifs Department, Sgt. Leigh and Deputy Johnson for capturing an injured adult Bald Eagle in the Township of Rock. We are grateful for our relationship with law enforcement agencies and theie fabulous assistance in situations such as this.

Earlier this morning deputies were called to the Township of Rock near Eisenhauer Drive and CTH V for an injured bald eagle. Sgt. Leigh and Deputy Johnson were able to catch the eagle which was turned over to the Raptor Group for further treatment. We appreciate all the volunteers from the Raptor Group that transport and treat injured birds. We’re hoping this eagle returns to its natural habitat soon!