Escaped Harris's hawk recaptured at Salt Lake Country Club after 100 days
HawkWatch International caught Stax, a 14-year-old education bird, on Oct. 6 after he spent much of the summer at the golf course.
Updated, Oct. 16, 2026: what changed ↓
Based on reporting by KUER 90.1 (NPR Utah). Read the original story →
HawkWatch International has recaptured Stax, a 14-year-old Harris's hawk that escaped from the nonprofit's Sugar House headquarters on June 29 and spent much of the next 100 days at the nearby Salt Lake Country Club, KUER reported. [1]
Melissa Halvorsen, HawkWatch's education and outreach director, told KUER the escape was caused by an equipment failure. About a week after Stax got loose, a birder spotted him at the golf course, and staff began leaving food for him while trying to trap him. [1]
Because of his years around people, Stax was hard to catch, Halvorsen said. Staff put food in the same place at the same time each day, then switched to a surface with small nooses for his feet and caught him on Oct. 6. [1]
A veterinarian found Stax in good health apart from some parasites, KUER reported. Once he is cleared, he will rejoin the birds HawkWatch uses to teach people about birds of prey. [1]
Updated Oct. 16, 2026: This story was expanded with KUER's reporting on Stax's recovery. The original version summarized ABC4's report.
Sources
- KUER 90.1 (NPR Utah): For 100 days, Salt Lake Country Club had a new member: An escaped Harris’s hawk
- ABC4 Utah: 'He's home again': HawkWatch International recovers ambassador hawk months after escape
This story was written by AI from the report by KUER 90.1 (NPR Utah), which has the full story. How we write stories.