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This past weekend at a SEE-North Annual Conference at Boyne Highlands Resort, a yet to be named red shouldered hawk escaped during a photography/educational session. The injured bird, one of nine birds of prey at the SEE-North Recovery Center, managed to slip from the grasp of her handler (with a tether still attached to her leg) and flew into the forest.

The handler and several conference participants immediately began to follow the birds path as she flew from tree top to tree top. Erv Lewandowski of Alpena, one of the conference presenters, was there when the bird escaped.

"I watched the scene unfold before my eyes and felt a sense of hopelessness, especially for the handler and the bird," Lewandowski said.

He decided to join in the search and wandered off into the forest. A short while later he approached a search party and observed the hawk flying near the group.

"The bird continued to elude us and eventually flew high above the trees and into the distance forest," Lewandowski said. "People immediately split up and headed into the forest for one last look. The search was called off as the evening approached and the participants were left with the feeling that the bird was probably lost."

According to Lewandowski, the handler, Alison Falldin, continued her efforts into the early evening hours before also ending her search. The following morning a neighboring homeowner notified the center that the hawk was tangled in a tree near his home.

SEE-North staff and the Harbor Springs Fire Department arrived at the scene and managed to successfully recapture the hawk and return it to its mew.

It was then decided she had earned her new name, Lucy, for her redness, her teasing and her trouble-making.

Lewandowski, a local artist, was one of the featured artists at the SEE-North Annual Conference. The three-day event highlighted a series of seminars and workshops by several noted Michigan photographers and artists, including the keynote speaker, Bill Schwab, an internationally recognized photographer from Detroit.

Participants also were treated to birds of prey demonstrations, bird viewing tours, kayaking, biking and elk tours. Lewandowski presented a session entitled "Drawing with Prismacolor Pencils." His appearance was co-sponsored by the Northern Michigan Artist Gallery in Petoskey and SEE-North.