Raptor Education Group, Inc.

10/20/2026

Twenty‑Seven‑Year‑Old Loon Successfully Rehabilitated and Released!

We have wonderful news to share today! Our beautiful loon patient has officially returned to the wild. Over the past few weeks, many of our patients, from warblers, flickers and robins to owls and hawks, have been released—healthy, strong, and ready for their next chapter—but this remarkable lady holds a very special place in our hearts.

Banded 27 years ago, she carries a long, documented history, and her daughter was also a REGI patient in 2020. At this point, they truly feel like family.

On Monday, she was released back to her home waters. She celebrated her freedom with proud, standing wing flaps before swimming and diving until she disappeared from sight. Watching her reclaim her wild life was pure joy.

We wish her a safe migration as she travels to her southern wintering grounds, and we’ll be eagerly awaiting her return in the spring.

10/15/2026

American White Pelican Injured in Menasha Tornado Released to Its Wild Pod

Wisconsin recorded 48 tornadoes in 2026, the second-highest annual total since statewide recordkeeping began in 1950. One of those tornadoes struck Menasha on July 27, causing extensive damage to the Heckrodt Wetland Reserve.
In the days after the storm, members of the public reported two American White Pelicans that appeared injured near a business area. A few days later, one disappeared. The remaining pelican was captured and transported to REGI by Brandi Grahl and Jason Fowler.

Injuries and Treatment

The pelican’s body bore clear evidence of what it had endured. Its wing was fractured, and flying debris had caused penetrating and impact injuries across its body, including its pouch. The bird arrived in shock and exhausted.
Our rehabilitation team immediately began stabilizing the pelican and treating its many injuries.
The pelican recovered slowly at first. His demeanor was different than other pelican patients. He was in shock and that lasted changed his behavior for several weeks. Finally, he began eating well on his own and began to exercise his fractured wing. The best news came when he was finally able to go home after seventy-three days after admission. His rescuers were able to release him as well!

The Hidden Impact on Wildlife

The devastation affecting people and communities understandably receives immediate attention. The impact on wildlife is often harder to document because injured animals may not be found and brought to rehabilitation centers until days—or even weeks—after a severe weather event.

Volunteers Make Rehabilitation Possible

We are fortunate to have skilled volunteers in the area who can safely capture large water birds such as pelicans. We often say that although we can care for our patients, they must reach us first. Our dedicated volunteers who rescue and transport injured animals provide that essential first line of care.
Brandi, Janet, Jason, and their friends and families are invaluable partners in rescuing injured wildlife in the area. In this case, Brandi also monitored the pelican’s wild family so the bird could be successfully reunited with its pod.
Wildlife rehabilitation involves many important steps that may not be visible to the public. Our work is not complete until each patient is safely returned to the wild and, whenever possible, reunited with its flock or family.

10/07/2026

An Amazing Story of a Loon Rescue from Crescent Lake and the Patients Fascinating Connection to REGI and the World of Science

REGI recently admitted a beautiful adult female loon ( #586-26) from Crescent Lake near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, after an encounter with a bald eagle.
Linda Grenzer of Loon Rescue alerted us after Crescent Lake residents saw a bald eagle tussle with the loon before the eagle flew off. The residents stayed nearby, tracking the bleeding bird until rescuers arrived. Although Linda was out of state, she, and Kevin—the heart and soul of Loon Rescue—conduct 98% of the organization’s loon-related work. In her absense, Linda turned to local Loon Rescue team member extraordinaire, Larry Mathein. Larry quickly responded, gathered his gear, and made the drive to Crescent Lake where he met with the caring and resolute residents that were waiting with their boat and additional gear.

The loon had begun to dive underwater by the time Larry arrived at the site. A diving loon requires a different capture technique which includes night capture. Larry and the lake's residents remained at the site and waited for nightfall. The loon was safely captured and Larry made the hour’s drive to transport her to REGI where we were waiting in the clinic after hours.

We immediately assessed and treated the loon's injury. She had a deep but clean laceration on the back of her neck that was bleeding. Further examination and radiographs revealed no other serious injuries. Federal and color bands indicated that she was part of a study. That news stired our interest as to her past however with no additonal information at that time, our patient was treated as a typical loon patient with a good prognosis.

The loon’s band offered valuable information about her age and history. Records identified her as an important study bird from Walter Piper’s, Loon Project. The loon was leg banded as an adult; therefore, her exact age is not known, but we do know that she is at least 27 years old.

Her story became even more remarkable when we discovered that a fifteen year old banded loon treated at REGI for lead poisoning in April 2020, was our current patient’s daughter. We are grateful to contribute to the science that deepens our understanding of these extraordinary birds, and to Walter Piper, whose decades of research have expanded that knowledge. Long-term studies like his are essential to understanding wild species.

Loon 586-26 is recovering steadily, eating well, and gaining weight. Once fully healed, she will return to the wild before migrating south for the winter.

I will include a link below that will take you to the story from April 2020. It is the story of our current patient’s daughters’ story of her recovery from lead poisoning at REGI. https://www.facebook.com/groups/942848699396690/permalink/1160631014285123/?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=0Smy###waZaL0Q1R #

A huge thank you to lake residents and other caring community members are heroes to injured loons and wild birds. We can treat these patients, but it is the public that often finds and protects them until help arrives. Linda and Kevin Grenzer of Loon Rescue are our personal heroes. Linda’s years of work with Walter Piper and The Loon Project laid the foundation for their efforts and transformed loon rescue across North America.

10/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DktzRQZqt/?mibextid=wwXIfr

After five months of rehabilitation with Raptor Education Group, Inc., a red-tailed hawk and two falcons injured in the Ringle tornado have finally returned to the wild. Riverside Elementary students, who saw their school damaged in the storm, cheered the birds on as they soared into the sky. 🦅 Read about this incredible winged homecoming! 👇 Link to the story is in the comments 👇

09/30/2026

A Remarkable Story of a Community and Compassion for Wildlife

Sometimes the stories behind our patients' rescues are as remarkable as their medical recoveries. That was certainly true for a juvenile Ring-billed Gull who was found dying in the most agonizing way, until a group of caring people at the Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union and the Marshfield Police Department stepped in to help. What could have been a heartbreaking ending became a story of kindness, teamwork, and a second chance.

A Juvenile Gull in Distress

A few days ago, we admitted a juvenile Ring-billed Gull from Marshfield. The young bird had become entangled in fishing line, and a lure with treble hooks. The lure was embedded in the young bird’s face and went through his nares (nose), while other hooks had become wrapped around both of his legs and feet. To make matters worse this young bird had been unable to eat due to the embedded fishing tackle. In addition to the lure, hook injuries, he was near starvation.
Despite his painful injuries, the gull somehow managed to make his way to the Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union, where compassionate employees noticed him struggling and knew he needed help.

Community Responds

Credit Union employees contacted the Marshfield Police Department for assistance. Officers responded without hesitation and rescued the young gull from his impossible situation. They even removed part of the lure and hook before transport, to make the trip to REGI as comfortable as possible for this patient. There are many heroes in this story, and their actions certainly speak well of the fantastic people in Marshfield WI.

We are not saying the gull deliberately chose to land at the Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union, but we are not saying he didn’t. 😊
We may never know exactly how this young bird’s difficulties began, but we do know how it ended. Because of the fabulous people and care shown by Credit Union employees and Marshfield police officers, the gull was rescued and given the chance to reach the care he desperately needed.

Treatment and Recovery

Our volunteer veterinarian, Dr. Ann, was already at REGI caring for another patient when the young gull arrived. She immediately went to work on him, removing the remaining hooks from his face, legs, and feet. The patient was rehydrated, and tube fed liquid diet as he was unable to digest whole food in his critical condition. He was also started on antibiotics.

Today, our young patient is recovering well. He remains in treatment in the clinic and remains on antibiotics for the deep infections. He is gaining strength and weight. Yesterday, he started to eat on his own! Yea! 😊 Thanks to the quick actions of everyone involved, he will heal and return to the wild where he belongs.

How You Can Help

This rescue also serves as an important reminder. Discarded fishing lines, hooks, and tackle entanglements are fatal for wildlife. They cause tremendous suffering for wildlife species that encounter them.
Please do not leave broken tackle or fishing line near lakes, ponds, rivers, or anywhere it could find its way into the environment. Proper disposal of waste fishing tackle can prevent injuries like the ones this young gull endured. On behalf of this young gull, and all the wildlife we care for, we thank you. ❤️

The story from the Marshfield Medical Centers Credit Union Facebook is on this link.https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14sf7egenkt/

09/26/2026

We shared a wonderful day celebrating the release of three raptors and a community all having recovered from the effects of a devastaing tornado in Ringle, WI in April. Enjoy the video below from News 9 WAOW
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DFMNSAYFW/

RINGLE, Wis. (WAOW) — Three birds rescued after the Ringle F-3 tornado in April were released back into the wild at Riverside Elementary.

09/13/2026

We’ve had several busy days traveling with out education programs! Yesterday Megan Ackley and I had the pleasure of being back in Sauk City for Raptor Days! It was a wonderful event and well attended.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1F7cShUaM5/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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.