On April 18, I made a quick stop at the office to pick up some materials for a grant proposal. The building was closed due to the pandemic, so I popped in quickly.
After exiting the building and entering the alley behind the Saranac Building, I spotted a Cooper’s Hawk stumbling on the ground, dragging its left wing. Cooper’s Hawks have beautiful plumage, which is what caught my eye immediately. Pigeons are commonly spotted in this location, and while beautiful in their own right, they are not as striking as a Cooper’s Hawk. I initially thought the bird of prey had broken its wing, possibly by flying into the building while in hot pursuit of a pigeon (Rock Dove). The bird couldn’t fly, but made its way to the top of the fence surrounding the fire station parking lot.
It is never a good idea to approach wildlife, especially injured wildlife. While I observed the bird, I also reached out for help to see if the injured bird could be saved. I called a friend at Birds of Prey Northwest. Donning protective clothing, together we were able to corner and carefully capture the injured bird. We examined the bird and determined that it had no broken bones. But we diagnosed the Hawk with head trauma, likely sustained by flying into the building in pursuit of prey. The Hawk was malnourished and underweight.
Chris Cooper Hawk, as I have named him (word play with actor Chris Cooper and Cooper’s Hawk) is recovering nicely and flying well in the flyways at Birds of Prey Northwest and will be released to fly another day, once he gains more weight.
Cooper’s Hawks are accipiter hawks with short broad wings and are among the bird world’s most skillful fliers. Accipiter hawks adapted to flying and catching prey by maneuvering through the forest, dashing through forest branches to catch birds. Cooper’s Hawks are now fairly common urban and suburban birds. Some studies show that their numbers are actually higher in towns than in their natural forest habitat. Cities provide plenty of Rock Dove (Pigeon) and Mourning Dove prey. That hawk perched in the tree watching your bird feeder is very likely a Cooper’s Hawk.
If you see an injured raptor and want to help, you can contact Birds of Prey Northwest by texting or calling (208) 245-1367. For more information, visit www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org