Yesterday, I got out my big(to me) chainsaw and started to service and sharpen it in anticipation of cutting down a tree that is in my way. Just as I was starting on it, it occurred to me that beer time had arrived, so I got into the truck and headed out to the store. As I turned out onto the little dirt road I live beside, I saw a large hawk cross the road on foot, dragging a wing behind him. He went into the woods where I had little to no hope of finding him, so I proceeded on to the beer store. After returning and cleaning the saw, I set about sharpening the chain, only to be interrupted by a ruckus involving my dogs, out by the driveway. I walked out to where I could see, and there was that hawk, sitting on the end of a log on the logpile with dogs nipping at him. I ordered the dogs away from him, causing them to immediately lose interest of course ::) and moved closer. The poor creature had obviously suffered an injury to one of his wings, but there was no blood visible and his wings were fairly well tucked in, except that the right one was protruding just a bit. I approached to within 15 feet with no noticeable alarm from the bird. I had positioned myself between the hawk and the dogs, who had all laid down about 50' away. I was really proud of them for that, especially since one of them has only been here a couple of weeks. :) Anyhoo, I was stuck there with only my cellphone as a weapon, lest I leave the hawk to the mercy of the dogs. There is a wild animal rescue outfit near here that just loves to rescue birds, but I didn't have their number so I called 911. "This isn't really an emergency" I explained, and went on to tell the story to the nice lady that answered my call. She was most patient about the non-emergency call, and agreed to send help ASAP. So far, so good. The mutts seemed pretty stable for the moment, so I went back to the shop and got a chair and my 12-pack, and me & Mr. Hawk settled in for a nice long chat. I admit that I did most of the talking, but he(or maybe she) seemed interested in an unexpressive sort of way. Hawks aren't real big on facial expressions anyway, as I have learned. ::) :D After having given me a good listening to for at least 30 minutes(or 2 beers, as the case may be), Mr/Ms Hawk sorta half ran and half flew to the other end of the 20' log. Shortly after that, he/she flapped and limped further back into the logpile. The wing was still not totally functional, but seemed much better than it was an hour earlier. The bird sat there for another few minutes, then made it's way out to the road, hobbled along to the place I originally saw it, and went back into the woods. I took my chair and beer back to the shop, and returned to sharpening the saw.
Fast-forwarding about 30 minutes, my phone rang and it was a very nice lady deputy, who seemed most disturbed about the situation. She said they had been calling all around and were having a hard time finding anyone to help me with my problem. I told her that it was no longer a real big issue, since the thing was now gone. "Gone?" she asked. "Yes", said I, "It just sorta half hopped and half flew back out into the woods." "FLEW??" exclaimed she. I said, "Well yeah, he has injured his wing somehow, and can't really fly, so he sorta flaps and runs, but he's gone now anyway." "Wha...w...er...mmm...I mean...who is this?", queried the voice in my phone. Sensing that there may be some confusion, I told her my name and reiterated that I had been in contact with an injured hawk, for whom I was seeking help. At this point, she burst out into hysterical laughter. Upon recovering, somewhat, she said that they had been scouring the county in search of somebody to rescue an injured hog, and had had little to no success. :D :D :D After we had shared a really good laugh, she gave me the number to St. Francis Wildlife Rescue, and we both hung up, still chuckling about the confusion. I had finished rubbing on the saw by this time, and settled back to enjoy the rest of my seven-pack. An hour or so later, another deputy eased his car into my yard, and I went out to greet him. As I approached, I could see that he was on his radio, recieving the news that there was no injured hog, and the hawk was gone. He was both crestfallen and relieved at the same time. We shared a good laugh, shook hands, and he proceeded on to a vicious dog call that was next on his list. All in all, the incident capped off an otherwise mundane day in fine fashion, and I haven't seen the hawk or the hog since.
:D :D :D
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely hilarious, what a day, for sure, good try anyway, amazing how people get confused and the story gets messed up. And real proud of the dogs too! Now if you could only teach one to clean the saw, the other to fetch your cold ones, and the other to well just guard that old log pile you would be in.
It was both interesting and humorous, just like you said ;D. I conjured up a mental picture of you sitting there making faces at that hawk.
I've always heard that hawks weren't much on conversation, now I know.... :D
Yes,that was quite the event. ;D
Great experience!
That seems like one of those events that come along once ever so often, that really gives you an insight to what Mother Nature is willing to share with us sometimes.
That was a very interesting and entertaining story. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN0317.JPG)
No facial expression, but those eyes say it all. This was 5' away and they said that it was time that I backed off.
I still think pigs can fly, no matter what you saw. :D
I can also see DanG offering the hawk a beer.
Quote from: doctorb on October 15, 2012, 10:27:28 AM
I still think pigs can fly, no matter what you saw. :D
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine.
RFC 1925 The Fundamental Truths #3
(Sorry, channeling my inner geek)
DanG,
It is good that you did not get into a big hurry about it and let things take their course ;D.
Your genuine concern for my feathered friend and appreciation for fine carbonated beverages is duely noted and appreciated :D
DanG
Great story, very well told. I've been reading some collections of essays by (the late) Noel Perrin, a Vermont farmer and a professor at Dartmouth, which are well worth reading. It occurs to me that your sketch about the hawk, the beer and you and your dogs is well-enough written (in the style of Noel Perrin and, may I say, even Mark Twain) that you have a talent for writing that ought to be developed further. Thanks for a fine story.
David L.
Thanks for all the comments and kind words. I'm happy to have an update with some positive news for Mr/Ms Hawk. My neighbor just came over and told me the thing had showed up in his yard this morning. He called 911 just as I had, but with better results, and the folks from St. Francis Wildlife Rescue came out and captured the bird. His injury consisted of a large cut at the base of his right wing. There is an excellent chance that he will be successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild. 8) 8) 8) 8)
And a happy ending too.....
Great news Dan! :) :)
For those of us that dream of flying on our own (litterally) it is wounderful to comune with such a wounderfully made creature and imagine what he sees and experiences on a daily basis in the air and making his way in life.
I did the same on the Alaska panhandle with a full sized bald eagle while fishing a remote stream years ago. There he was. Standing on a log in the middle of the stream looking dishovled and off ballance, obviously injured. Upon a very slow approach his feathers swelled to about twice his already very large size and his eyes were pearcing, beak and claws unexpectedly alot larger than expected with the appearance of being very sharp. At that moment I realized Im dealing with a natural wepon of mass destruction. A master of his domain. A very heavily equiped creature made to dismantle other living things. Being very impressed by these observations, I backed up slowly and dicided to just check on him the next day. Returning the next day, he was gone. Likely he got a claw stuck in a salmon that fliped him or something that rang his bell. What a day to get within 5 or 10 feet from a full sized bald eagle. Im so glad he was only at 10% capability at the time. Something I will never forget. :o :)