Actually, quite easily. A large bird like a Canadian goose being sucked into an engine traveling at 300 MPH can and has caused catostrophic damage in the past. It is a major risk and one of the reasons that airports use measures to keep birds away from the runways.
This being the fall, a flock of geese or other migratory birds could well have crossed the path of that flight.
I'm from Upstate, and the geese are long gone.
I've seen sea gulls though. They were begging for french fries at McDonalds.