Nursing Violet the hawk back to health on LI

Violet, the injured red-tailed hawk who became a wildlife celebrity when her spring nesting activities were captured by a popular streaming webcam, is resting comfortably in Massapequa, getting pain medication and antibiotics and munching on cut-up mouse bits.

She was captured Saturday in Manhattan's Washington Square Park by raptor rehabilitators Bobby and Cathy Horvath, who had been kept apprised of her location and condition by hawk watchers in the park area.

Still, despite an outpouring of well wishes from hawk lovers around the country, Violet is far from out of the woods.

Her right foot is necrotic, "balled up and ready to fall off," says Cathy Horvath, 52, a veterinary technician. Violet's left foot had developed an infection called bumblefoot, which is caused by overuse.

The couple had sought permission earlier in the year to capture Violet, then nesting on a ledge at New York University, to remove the band on her right leg, which appeared to be exacerbating a previous condition, possibly a rat or squirrel bite, Horvath said.

The hawk has "had a raging infection since May," Horvath said. "She's a trouper, and we'll do whatever we can to save her life."

And in what some might see as further distressing news, Violet's mate was reported by bloggers as soon as Sunday to be courting another female red-tailed hawk.

Violet, mother of Pip, who hatched May 6, is now in a kennel with padding and towels in the Horvaths' Massapequa home, and is to be checked out Wednesday by a veterinarian.

"She doesn't appear stressed at all; she's eating well; she's alert; so far she's a perfect patient," says Bobby Horvath, 49, a New York City firefighter, who with his wife founded Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation, a nonprofit group.

The couple takes in some 800 birds and animals a year; most recover and are released back into the wild.

After making other attempts to capture Violet, who had left NYU property, the Horvaths arrived at Washington Square about 2 p.m. Saturday, Cathy Horvath said. Just as they were about to leave, Violet perched on a nearby tree and flew to the ground to feed on a rat, allowing Bobby Horvath to toss a net on her.

In the wake of media reports, the couple has received phone calls and at least 100 emails from hawk lovers around the country.

As for treating a wildlife celebrity, Cathy Horvath said, "I would treat a sparrow the same way. I'm just happy she's in my hands."