A few years ago I noticed an eagle perched on a tree limb overhanging the road. Slowed down thinking I could stop, beyond the limb, and get a picture. As I approached he left, initially dropping to nearly windshield level before gaining height. Hate to think of how many federal regulations I would have violated if I hit him.
Roadside eagles, hawks, and owls are often eyeing the shoulder on the opposite side of the road. It’s not uncommon for them to swoop into traffic if they see prey.
“Slowed down thinking I could stop, beyond the limb, and get a picture.”
Slowed down thinking I could stop beyond the limb and get a picture.
Hate to think of how many federal regulations I would have violated if I hit him.
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Some friends & I were on a daylong hike - I believe it was in George Washington National Forest. The destination was a large water reservoir. Anyway, the trail crossed several dirt/gravel ‘forest roads’. We had just crossed one & not too far down the trail we came across a Cooper’s Hawk, lying in the trail on her back ... very unusual. The only thing we could figure out was that she had been flying low across the road & a vehicle hit her - momentum carried her into the woods.
The two friends I was with are birders & also have participated in bird capture/banding, so they are knowledgeable beyond the usual hiker level. We carefully wrapped her in a towel we had with us, wrapping to contain/avoid clawed feet. I had a bandana that we put over her head loosely to keep her calm. We carried her with us the 2 miles to the reservoir & got in touch with the caretaker (no cells phones with us at that time). He made some calls & found the closest place we could take her - a vet who also would take wild animals (for transfer to a wildlife rehab facility once stabilized). The caretaker warned us MULTIPLE times to take the bird straight to the vet - just being in possession of her was a federal offense (or so he said). My friends were well aware of what legally could be an issue so we acknowledged the warnings, although his multiple warnings got tiresome after about the 4th time ... he meant well.
We had a vehicle at the reservoir & promptly took the hawk to the vet. The tech came out after she’d taken the hawk in back & asked if we’d had any issues with her feet/claws ... no we had not. One of the birding couple called the next day to inquire about the hawk - we got the sad news that her back was broken & she had been euthanized. Even with that devastating news, we felt good about what we did. The hawk would not have survived the night - some predator would have gotten her, so she had a peaceful ending rather than being torn apart for dinner. That being said, nature is ‘cruel’, but that’s the way it goes for animals/birds in the wild.