An injured red-tailed hawk can no longer fly free, but her instinct to become a mother is so strong that she adopts and raises two abandoned red-shouldered hawks in this true and heartwarming story of interspecies friendship. When someone cuts down a tree containing a nest, two hawk eggs are in desperate need of help. Sunshine the hawk mother to the rescue!  Sunshine is a red-tailed hawk who can no longer fly. Her mothering instinct is so strong that she once successfully raised two chicken eggs to adulthood. She seems like the perfect choice to adopt these eggs. But there is a problem: The eggs are red-shouldered hawks, not red-tailed hawks, and one of them has already hatched.  Will Sunshine accept an egg and newly hatched chick of a competing hawk species? Will Sunshine be a mother again?  Find out in this uplifting sequel about interspecies adoption and the deep trust and understanding between Sunshine and zoologist Kara Hagedorn.  Read the other book in this series: Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens. Awarded the Skipping Stones Book Award for Nature & Ecology Books “Zoologist, Kara Hagedorn ( Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens ) shares another story of cross-species adoption, in this stunning nonfiction title. "One spring morning, my phone rings. Someone has cut down a tree with a nest containing two red-tailed hawk eggs. ‘Will Sunshine adopt them?' asks the wildlife rehabilitator." And so begins the story of how Sunshine, a red-tailed hawk who has been unable to fly since being shot many years ago, once again becomes a surrogate mother. Told in first person, Hagedorn shares every step in the raising of the chicks. From Sunshine feeding the newly hatched chicks, Bella and Romeo, to teaching them how to hunt. Beautiful, color photos that show the process of Sunshine raising these two chicks, which turn out to be red-shouldered hawks, is very exciting. Over several weeks the chicks grow until one day, Kara decides it is time for them to leave the safety of the aviary. ‘I decide today is the day for them to leave. I take Sunshine out of her aviary so she can watch. Then, heart beating, I open the aviary door.’ Included is an author’s note explaining who Kara is and how she came to adopt Sunshine, more information about hawks, and a glossary. An important book to share when explaining the importance of how to be mindful of nature, and the growth cycle of raptors.”— Nonfiction Detectives “Hawk Mother (2017) featured Sunshine, a red-tailed hawk injured by hunters and cared for by Hagedorn, who watched the bird adopt two baby chickens and raise them as her own. In this sequel, Hagedorn takes two fertile eggs rescued from a red-shouldered hawk’s nest and places them in Sunshine’s nest. After they hatch, their foster mother cares for them attentively, while Hagedorn avoids contact with them, a precaution that may save their lives after they’re released into the wild. The chicks watch Sunshine intently, following her example and learning survival skills. Initially, they mimic her clucking sounds, but later they will vocalize like other red-shouldered hawks. The story follows the young birds into adulthood when they fly away, but they occasionally return. Animal lovers will be captivated by their first sight of a soft, fuzzy light-gray chick standing beside its sibling’s eggs as if waiting for it to hatch. The text offers information within the context of a true story, illustrated with one or more color photos on each page, while additional reflections appear in the back matter.”— Booklist “K-3 In this nonfiction picture-book sequel to  Hawk Mother , red-tailed hawk Sunshine is unable to mate because she was shot, leaving her unable to fly. Coauthor Hagedorn, a zoologist, cares for the bird and brings her two fertile eggs. In clear language, she and Garnsworthy lay out how Sunshine mothers the hawk chicks from a competing hawk species. The book’s dynamic color photography enhances the story. A note about the birds is appended along with more information about hawks and a glossary.”— Horn Book "A fun memorable read from start to finish, 'Hawk Mother Returns' will prove a welcome and popular addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library wildlife themed picture book collections for children ages 5-9." - Midwest Book Review “Sunshine the red-tailed hawk cannot fly due to an injury. She is being cared for by a zoologist named Hagedorn, who shares this second, amazing story about Sunshine. This sequel to  Hawk Mother: The Story of a Red-tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens  (2017) is a heart-warming story of interspecies adoption. The challenge in this volume is whether Sunshine will care for the egg and the newly hatched chick of a red-shouldered hawk. Red-tailed hawks like Sunshine and red-shouldered hawks are different, competing species. Hagedorn tells the story through evocative text and magnificent, color photogr