This month, we have a double Halloween installment of Amazing Bird Adventures. The majority of birds we remove at Meridian Bird Removal are small “nuisance birds.” Recently, we’ve had not one but two “hawk” captures — one with a spooky beginning and one hiding behind a masquerading name. Brace yourselves. Hawktober is coming!
Part 1: The Hawk That Wasn’t There
Setting the scene
The BRT: Judd D.
Experience level: BRT3
The bird: Nighthawk
The partner: a major home improvement store in North Conway, NH
I got the emergency call at 8:00 A.M. A hawk had been spotted inside a big box store—one we had never serviced. I loaded up my gear and got there as fast as I could. I was pumped! This would be my first raptor capture. The employees were unable to specify the type of hawk, and I knew the largest breeds could exceed a 50-inch wingspan. I was prepared for anything.
The Mystery Deepens
When I arrived, I started by interviewing the employees. No one could agree on the bird’s size or shape. Some said it had been in the store for three days. Others claimed it had arrived more recently. Whatever the time frame, this bird was scaring customers and it needed to be removed.
Typically, a bird of this size would be easy to find, but I spent 90 minutes searching the store. Just as I thought it might have flown out, an employee spotted it in the appliance department. It was lying down as if it was injured. Knowing injured hawks can be extremely dangerous, I tried to get it to move by fluttering a bag on a pole. That did the trick. It stood up and spread its wings. I saw then this was no hawk. It was a nighthawk.
Hiding Behind a Name
Despite the name, nighthawks are not hawks. They have sharply back-swept wings and are related to whippoorwills. While they’re no larger than a pigeon, the size and weight of this bird required raptor-strength nets. I set up two hawk nets and tried to drive the bird into them. It was extremely smart, avoiding my nets twice. I repositioned them and caught the nighthawk on the third try.
I checked over the bird for injuries, given its earlier lethargy. Its breathing and movement seemed normal, so I decided it was healthy enough to release. It flew away with strong flight, soaring gracefully.
In the end, I was glad I prepared. With experience with this species, I had to adapt and overcome the nighthawk’s highly intelligent evasion. This was one of my most rewarding captures, as nighthawks are listed as “declining” on conservation lists. Life as a Bird Removal Technician is exciting, and one of the fun parts is getting to know new species of birds and help conserve their numbers by getting them out of stores and back into the wild.
Part 2: Halloween Hawk Tale
Setting the scene
The BRT: Steve P.
Experience level: BRT3
The bird: Cooper’s Hawk
The partner: a big box store in Raynham, MA
The culprit entered the store some time during the night. The employees were able to trap it in the vestibule between the outer and inner entrance doors. They called Meridian and reported a hawk in the building, along with three hapless sparrows.
When I arrived, it was like a scene from a horror movie. There was blood on the floor and one dead sparrow. The other two sparrows must have somehow escaped. But the Cooper’s hawk was there, just sitting there on the floor. This was my first hawk, and it was an unusual call besides—we rarely find raptors sitting so still. It was a bit… ominous.
A Gentle Touch Wins the Day
I had heard Cooper’s hawks were wily and hard to capture. I had been taught to use a heavy, loose net. But something told me I might be able to catch this one by hand. I pulled on my raptor gloves, circled around behind the hawk and took hold of the hawk, making sure to restrain its sharp talons. I put him in a live capture box and took the bird to a wildlife rehab center.
The Dangerous Secret This Hawk Harbored
I had worked with this partner before, and we had developed great communication. I removed the dead sparrow while the store employees went to work cleaning the area. I got quite a shock when the wildlife center told me the hawk I captured had a disease called Eastern Equine Encephalitis (“Triple E” for short). Triple E affects the brain and probably accounted for the hawk’s unusual behavior. Worse, this bloodborne disease can affect humans—last year the region had at least one person die from an outbreak.
Thanks to COVID-19, the store had already sanitized the vestibule to cleanroom standards, so none of its customers would be affected. But if the hawk had attacked or lashed out, it could have transmitted the disease to me.
I never thought about any of that during the capture. I was nervous, but confident. Part of working as a BRT is you always have to expect the unexpected. It’s always fun, and you definitely have to embrace new adventures daily.