Downed Hawk

“I am sick!!! I was driving down I26 on my way home and a hawk came over the bank from my right. It looked like it was fighting the wind to get in the air...it came across the hood of my car, I thought he was gonna clear it but it's wing collided with the corner of my windshield. I was afraid it was coming in the car...I could hear the feathers in the wind. I looked in the rear view mirror and didn't see him. The traffic was too bad...I couldn't stop. Later this evening we had to go back in the area...I scowered the road and sides of the road and didn't see it..I was releazed at first cause I didn't see it...but at the last minute I saw it against the median. It must have flown into the other lane. I am sorry if this upsets anyone...my heart is sick...I just wanted to share.”

“I am sick!!! I was driving down I26 on my way home and a hawk came over the bank from my right. It looked like it was fighting the wind to get in the air...it came across the hood of my car, I thought he was gonna clear it but it's wing collided with the corner of my windshield. I was afraid it was coming in the car...I could hear the feathers in the wind. I looked in the rear view mirror and didn't see him. The traffic was too bad...I couldn't stop. Later this evening we had to go back in the area...I scowered the road and sides of the road and didn't see it..I was releazed at first cause I didn't see it...but at the last minute I saw it against the median. It must have flown into the other lane. I am sorry if this upsets anyone...my heart is sick...I just wanted to share.”

“I would say of all the road kill I see on a daily basis, seeing a downed bird of prey has to be one of the worst. I just love those animals. A local stretch of highway had what look to be a fawn or two and a full body deer (2nd worst)laying on the shoulders by the 'get on ramp'. Did see a bl. bear (tie for 1st) a few years back in the B.S.F. Rec. area on I-75 just N of Knoxville. It hurts to see 'yotes' also. Who hits those aninmals?

Did see a turtle a few weeks back trying to get across the highway. It was LARGE enough to see and cause every auto to move to the other lane. I think it made it across because a few days after that I was traveling the same stretch and did see a thing.

Don't let it get you down, there will be more opprotunities in the future to make amends for this accident.”

“Aww, that's a real shame. Hope it didn't suffer too much.

It was an accident...it's not like you went out of your way to hit the bird.”

“We have a lot of hawks,(catskills) but I think collisions are rarer than other critters. Too many people seriouisly hurt themselves or other drivers to avoid them. I've seen a lot more turkey & deer collisions. Bear occasionally. Sorry it happened to you, but it happens.”

“I am so sorry you had to go through that. I am sorry for the bird but I hate to say it, It's part of nature. (easy for me to say right :()
But no matter, it still hurts when something like this happens.

Not alot more you can do other then forgive yourself. You did go back and that counts for something!”

“Its not like you had to scrape it off your grille and radiator.”

“Yikes! Poor Hawk, Poor Crazygurl.

Perhaps the Hawk was sick or diseased, and thats why it was struggling to get altitude.”

“I rescued a huge snapping turtle last year near Staunton, Virginia.

It was trying to cross the road and was in the middle, still un-hurt.

You gotta grab them by the end of the tail.......watch out, they have a really long neck!”

“TD, there are times when things are funny, but in this case
this is not one of them!!”

“Thanks guys...I know it wasn't my fault but it still was pretty upsetting. One guy at work told me I should contact the Cherokee reservation and tell them where it is. I actually thought of calling the wildlife folks and seeing if they will remove it.”

“yes they will. calling the reservation is a wonderful idea. they will treat the animal with the utmost(sp) respect. If they are unable to help try this website. I have used this and it has helped me.

wildlife rehab locator”

“I would be calling just to salvage the feathers.”

“Is it not illegal to collect even the feathers of such a bird?”

“OH...is it? Well, if you contacted the authorities and they did it maybe that would be ok. It may not even be there now..someone may have already gotten it. I just couldn't go that way this morning.”

“I know that it is Illegal to OWN a Bald Eagle. Only the govermnt can own one.
The native Americans are no longer allowed to own them. That is why they honor Hawks.
I volunteered at a zoo and they said that when a female eagle hatches the egg, they replace it with a fake one and have to send the real egg of to Washington DC.
But im not sure about the feathers. That is a good question that I would like to know the answer to. If you find out can you please post it?”

“Sorry if I offended anyone. I thought the hawk was finito, gone, dead, splatted, kaput. I'd feel terrible too if it was still alive at the side of the road thrashing about.”

“TD...it is a done deal.”

“When pro golfer Tripp Isenhour lost his temper and beaned a shrieking hawk in December, he might have thought the incident, like the bird, was dead and buried.

But the outburst has earned him misdemeanor charges and a torrent of criticism from animal advocates and bird lovers across the nation. If convicted of cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird, he could face up to a year in jail and fines.
[...]
According to documents from the investigation, the Orlando golfer was reciting lines when the federally protected red-shouldered hawk started making its "kee-aah" sound from about 300 yards away.

"It wasn't that extreme," said sound engineer Jethro Senger, who reported the incident to authorities a few days later. "Initially, it was causing us to stop rolling a few takes." That's what appeared to set Isenhour off, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports.

The golfer, who turned pro in 1990, hopped into a golf cart and drove closer to the feathered creature perched in a tree. For 10 minutes, while the crew waited, Isenhour hit several golf balls toward the bird. He eventually gave up and returned to the set.

The bird then flew closer to the crew and landed in a tall pine tree about 75 yards away. Again, the hawk began to screech.

Isenhour, who earned $471,000 last year and ranked No. 152 on the PGA Tour, started hitting drives at the bird, getting closer with each swing, witnesses told investigators.

On Isenhour's 10th swing, the ball hit the bird, causing it to fall more than 30 feet to the ground. Isenhour yelled, "I didn't think I would hit it," according to reports.
[...]
When the bird fell from the tree, Senger and others ran to its aid.

"The bird was on his back, bleeding from his nostrils, his mouth was opening and closing slowly, and it was looking up at me as people ran over," Senger told wildlife officials. "I saw its eyes slowly close, and I was pretty sure that the bird had died."

A production assistant later buried the bird off the fairway, said wildlife Officer Brian Baine.

Unable to sleep and haunted by dreams of hurt animals, Senger told wildlife officials what happened. Investigators exhumed the bird, and it is being preserved in Ocala in case it's needed for trial.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-bk-bird-030608,0,7880171.story”

“The worst part was he wanted his caddy to put him down for a 7....”

“And yet no one said anything while the putz was hitting balls at the bird.”

“maybe because they all realized (Violin left this out) ... as did "famous golf coach David Leadbetter --- who didn't witness the episode --- said the odds of a golfer making that shot are one in several thousand."”

“Who cares what the odds are. It's wrong to aim at a bird.”

“Your honor I suggest that this bird, after witnessing numerous close calls ELECTED not to leave the area in danger. Therefore I ask that my client's case be rejected because it was obvious the bird was participating in the ill advised sport of attempting to catch a golf ball in flight.”

“Apparently the people who were watching. You said nobody said anything, and I was providing a probable reason. The odds were extremely low to hit a small target from that distance with a golf ball according to one of the top experts in golf. I'm sure most people thought he was just going to scare the bird away at most.”