A Cooper’s hawk recently found its way into the Arcade downtown. Nobody saw it fly in, but at least one business owner knew exactly who to call: Peter Green of Providence Raptors. I happened to stop by last week to visit Christine, owner of Carmen & Ginger, and she told me all about it.
At that time it was believed that the bird had escaped but I waited until Peter posted about the event to make sure it had a happy ending. I also knew his account would include wonderful photographs like this one. He has since filed a report of the episode, “Hawk inadvertently trapped in Providence Arcade,” with more photos and a video of the hawk zooming the length of the interior!
They called me and I went over with my rescue net, but it was way too high to reach. The net isn’t used for catching a healthy hawk in flight – it’s only for trapping animals that are injured and nearly immobile.
I spoke to a few experts and we agreed that, unfortunately, the building staff might have to wait until the hawk was hungry and weak enough to come down and be caught . . .
Back home, I looked through “Urban Raptors: Ecology and Conservation of Birds of Prey in Cities,” remembering a chapter about rescue and rehabilitation. I sent the staff the information . . .
In the evening they turned down the lights, covered all the windows, and illuminated the exit door. The next morning the hawk was gone. Just as nobody saw it enter, nobody saw it leave – Cooper’s Hawks are notoriously stealthy.
Peter hopes his account, and the relevant links from other experts, will provide guidance to others facing this predicament.
Check out the Providence Raptors Instagram feed where Peter has recently added pix of falcons perching high up on the facade of the Biltmore. He also has a Facebook page.
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Seen below is a photo I took of a splat of Cooper poop on a display case at the entrance of Carmen & Ginger.
