Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Tried to be nice to a Coopers Hawk, but no good deed goes unpunished

Bird related, so what the hell...

I was driving home tonight and was on a busy road appropaching my neighborhood. Cars were slowing down then going around something in the road. I got up to it and saw it was a Coopers Hawk just standing in the road. But not just standing. He was leaning backwards on his feet with his tail holding him up. I didn't want him to get hit by a car so I stopped in a nearby turn lane and walked back to him. I figured he would fly off but he just stood there with his eyes shut. I reached down and cupped my hands around his shoulder and picked him up. He opened his eyes a couple of times and I noticed his eye were gold. I put him in my car and he sat on my jacket with his eyes shut. I was petting his head talking to him. I called animal control and they told me they would have a city park ranger call me since it was a wild animal. The park ranger called me and said he couldn't come and get it for a few hours and asked if I could drop it off at a Vet ER not too far from my house that they take animals to. I agreed. I moved my little feather friend to my lap and he rode on my lap to the vet. About 5 minutes out from the vet, he had his eyes open. His eyes were no longer gold. They were blood red. Then he freaked out and took off into the windshield. I reached for him with my right hand and got him and brought my left hand up to help. That's when he grabbed me with the death spikes on the ends of his toes. He latched onto my left hand with both feet. Now I know how they kill what the grab. They sink their talons into it and impale it to death. Holy crap, this thing had a grip on my hand I could barely get out of. He sank a couple talons to the bone. I finally got him calmed down and covered him completely with my jacket. The vet lady came out and got him with heavy leather gloves. Never felt anything like that. He was no bigger than a small crow. But those feet are strong all out of proportion to their size.

I had no idea what was wrong with him when I picked him up. I'm guessing now he either got hit by a car and got stunned, or hit a car and got stunned, or dove after a bird and hit the pavement (I've seen that happen.) Whatever it was, he recovered in my car and ripped my hand a new azzhole. Vet said they would x-ray him and check him out thoroughly. I hope he does well.

Dang man, you did get a number done on you

That'll learn ya. 😁

Buddy in Texas was telling me about a couple Mexican cattlehands that found an injured golden eagle. One scooped it up. He had heavy leather fencing gloves on. Rotten varmint drove talons through the glove.....his hand....and out the other side. 😬

Good thing he didn't grab your "LAP"!

Man, my hand is sore as hell this morning. The one on my palm, between my fingers, and on the tip of my ring finger are deep. The more I tried to dislodge my hand, the tighter he grasped. I just can't get over how tight that little bird held on. I have a new found respect. Strength way beyond its size. I've seen one kill a robin and I 've seen one kill a dove in my yard, and the hawk stood on the those birds and just kneaded those birds like a person kneads dough. Now I know it was literally stabbing those birds to death. I read last night the Coopers Hawk has a grip strength of 150-200 psi.

I have an unused prescription for Azythromycin I have left over from a case of bronchitis a month ago. I started taking that just in case.