View Full Version : Hit a Cooper's Hawk with my car
So, yesterday afternoon I was on my way to work when out of nowhere a Cooper's Hawk swooped out of the trees to my right. I only saw it for a split second before it hit my windshield, and tumbled to the road. It was alive and moving its head around, shooting angry glances at me. Luckily the car behind me stopped, and since I was on my way to work they agreed to take it to the Humane society. Hopefully the bird will make it. I know this isn't on the A.T. but what a bizarre thing to happen, and I wanted to share. My guess is that it was locked in on some prey on the opposite side of the road. It was really cool to see up close, but I wish the circumstances had been different. Is this more common than I think or was it just a freak accident? :(
I know what ya mean. I have hitting anything. Humans are on a crazy pace and animals have to maneuver around us. They rarely win the road wars. A guy hit a calf moose in fairbanks on a motorcyle and mama moose came after him.. Yikes ! That got ugly I heard... also a wolf tried to take down a motorcycle. Thought it was prey and he died cuz of that encounter. The driver did'nt fair well either.
sorry you hit something.... makes for a bad taste in your mouth.
hope the hawl makes it !
In the U.S., the number of birds killed in collisions with cars is in the millions each year. (FWIW, the number of birds killed in collisions with windows, power lines, radio towers, buildings, etc. is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions). So, yes, this is all too common.
A couple of years ago, headed to Damascus for Traildays, our windshield was hit by what my husband thought was an eagle. We never found it to verify what it was, but the entire windshield on our motorhome had to be replaced. It was a very windy day and we suspect the wind caught the bird and pulled it down toward the RV.
skinewmexico
11-19-2008, 16:35
Maybe it was a Darwin thing. I wish a hawk had done that to me, instead of the 2 deer that ran out the other day.
Awol2003
11-19-2008, 17:49
A ranger at Amicalola Falls SP made a good point during a presentation about owls. Many people think it is okay to throw biodegradable trash out of their car(banana peels, apple cores), but it is problematic. Rodents scavenge this stuff, which in turn brings birds of prey to the roadside.
sheepdog
11-19-2008, 17:52
I'll bet his girl just left him and he was feeling depressed. Apple cores???
That makes sense Awol....never thought of that. Another reason to not litter ! speaking of litter ... I was walking down a rural paved rd yesterday in Wa and my GOD the freaking beer cans along the rd in this county ! amazing and gross. I wish we had a nickel recycle deal going all over this country... maybe we would'nt pitch out of cans and bottle so much. really ugly.
I passed two red tail hawks last week. One was hit by a car and the other looked to be mourning his friend. It was a very strange! :(
this is gonna sound unbelievable but we saw late on a summer evening a lab and a fox cross the rd together. we could'nt believe our eyes !
I was driving down a dirt road late one night near the house when a small owl bonked into the side of the van; we stopped, wrapped him in a towel and laid him out on the living room floor a couple of minutes later. That's when he got his bearings and decided it was time to leave. Scooped him back up & hurried outside. Off he flapped.
What a crummy experience hitting a hawk. We see alot of Cooper's Hawks here. The last one I saw get hit was by a semi in front of me on a rural road. Ugly. It was on the hunt and there was a "Oh no" moment then it was just gone in smithereens.
Unfortunately, I drive alot for my employment and see way too many big birds dead in the road.
Those who read this thread may be pleased to know other raptors fared better today in their southward migration on Pennsylvania's Kittatinny Ridge and were counted as the passed safely over Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (http://www.hawkmountain.org).
HMS has created a page by the same name as this post's title which they've linked from their home page. It includes a link Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory (http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/) which may be of use to those who read this thread seeking such information.
sheepdog
11-20-2008, 07:38
The areas along roadways are usually grassy meadows. Grassy meadows attract mice, deer and rabbits. These furry little varmits attract predators. Sometimes (often?) they get run over. I hate to see birds of prey get hit. I live by a lake and the eagles and ospreys have started fishing again now that the tourist are gone. It is cool to see.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/4/9/2/0/eagle_1.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=29494&original=1&c=675)
The odd thing is, I hit the bird in a residential area. I've seen Cooper's Hawks in the neighborhood before, but usually much higher in the trees. I assume, they stalk bird feeders in the area. I was going to call the Humane Society to see what became of the bird, but I think I'd rather just assume that the bird is doing fine. Bird watching has been a favorite pastime of mine for about the last 20 years, so the experience rattled me a little. I know it was unavoidable but it still sucks. About 10 years ago I rescued 13 baby mallards from a dilapidated swimming pool in Columbus. I took them to the Humane Society and they were sent to Mansfield where the women's prison has a program to rehabilitate injured wildlife. A few months later they sent me a postcard telling me that the ducks had been released into the wild. (not that they would send me a letter to tell me that the birds didn't make it.) Hopefully they did the same thing with the hawk. I may still call and check on it though.
I recall incidents either unavoidable or unanticipated some of which happened many years ago and bother me still. When I think of them, I remind myself of other times I managed to avoid incidents or at least mitigate them.
Sometimes such incidents can be avoided by anticipating what might occur before it happens. This is one benefit of such experiences and reading of those which have occurred to others. Still, other times, there is no way to avoid these unfortunate incidents.
I hate to be negative, but I wouldn't count on the bird making it. For birds that fly into glass windows, 50% of the birds that survive the initial impact will die from internal injuries within the next day or so. I hope your hawk survived, but I imagine that for collisions with a moving car (which can do a lot more damage), the survival rate must be even lower.
A lot of people see birds fly off from these sorts of collisions and think, "oh, good, it's going to be okay" when the reality is that birds are just too light and fragile to have good odds when they smack into a large, heavy object. If you want to avoid hitting birds when you drive, drive more slowly, especially in areas with lots of wildlife, and--even better--walk, bike, or take a bus instead of driving! I've hiked half of the AT, and I haven't hit a bird yet while I was walking. :)
sheepdog
11-20-2008, 14:52
I just about hit an owl on my motorcycle. It was about a foot in front of my helmet at 55 mph. That would have wrecked both our days.
A lot of people see birds fly off from these sorts of collisions and think, "oh, good, it's going to be okay" when the reality is that birds are just too light and fragile to have good odds when they smack into a large, heavy object. If you want to avoid hitting birds when you drive, drive more slowly, especially in areas with lots of wildlife, and--even better--walk, bike, or take a bus instead of driving! I've hiked half of the AT, and I haven't hit a bird yet while I was walking. :)
Yeah, I'm not too optimistic about the bird's chances, that's why I've been reluctant to call the Humane Society. The irony is that I've been carless for the better part of two years and just got a car two weeks ago. I usually bike or walk to work. I was only doing about 20mph. I was literally about 200 feet from my driveway, and I live near a school, so I rarely go above 25mph on my street. I too have never hit a bird while walking, but have had a couple of close calls. I had a Grouse nearly fly right into my arms about 30 miles south of Damascus. I think it had babies near because it was pulling the wounded wing routine. Also about 15 years ago I got divebombed by a night hawk in Yellowstone. That'll make you pick up your pace.
sheepdog
11-20-2008, 15:09
A bird hitting a house window verses hitting a car windshield is totally different. The car windshield slopes back and the bird might have hit a glancing blow. When a bird hits my house window that noise is the dinner bell for my cat. He comes a running.
Gorp-Gobbler
11-20-2008, 15:13
I was out here at MNWR (Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge) close to Seymour a year or two ago when a guy brought in seven Cedar Waxwings. Said that he and his daughter were watching them eat berries in the bushes in front of their house then all of a sudden they took flight and crashed into their window.
What a poor way to add this bird to ones Life List of birds seen.
Wise Old Owl
12-20-2008, 13:12
A ranger at Amicalola Falls SP made a good point during a presentation about owls. Many people think it is okay to throw biodegradable trash out of their car(banana peels, apple cores), but it is problematic. Rodents scavenge this stuff, which in turn brings birds of prey to the roadside.
I'll bet his girl just left him and he was feeling depressed. Apple cores???
Yes apple cores - anything edible - mostly fast tood trash - with hints of grease, Awol is correct. Years ago I tossed an apple out a window on a off bound ramp into the woods, and the twenty something blond lost it and tried to ram my car while tooting her horn! :eek:
Interesting Dinner Bell Sheepdog.
sheepdog
12-20-2008, 22:41
Ever notice all the apple trees that grow by the roads (they are everywhere in Michigan)? The blessings of apple cores pitched out of car windows.
Maybe the blond thought you were hot!!
buckwheat
12-21-2008, 10:39
FWIW, the number of birds killed in collisions with windows, power lines, radio towers, buildings, etc. is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions).
Yes. Everywhere I go, millions of dead birds are lying around at my feet, having flown into buildings and power lines and whatnot. It's hard to get from point A to point B without stepping into their gooey feathery innards.
90% of people will believe any statistic you care to make up.
90% of people will believe any statistic you care to make up.
Yeah, I made it up. So did the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (http://www.fws.gov/birds/mortality-fact-sheet.pdf). So did the scientists who wrote this report (http://www.nationalwind.org/publications/wildlife/avian_collisions.pdf), which constitutes the most up to date figures.
But, hey, they're only scientists. I'm sure that you're opinion is more correct.
Pedaling Fool
12-21-2008, 11:47
I was cycling the other day near a swampy area when I rounded a bend and spooked one of these (http://www.florida-tourism.net/florida-wildlife/bird-images/great-egret/great-white-egret-vr8.JPG) You’d think he would fly away from me, no, he flew towards me. He was so close he couldn’t get enough height and his lanky legs hit my head as he flew over.
I have this problem with a lot of animals like squirrels, lizards, dogs… When I startle them, on my bike, instead of doing the common sense thing of going in the opposite direction they head straight for me.
slowandlow
12-21-2008, 16:46
I have this problem with a lot of animals like squirrels, lizards, dogs… When I startle them, on my bike, instead of doing the common sense thing of going in the opposite direction they head straight for me.
Obviously a case of animal magnetism.