On Sunday, NYPD Special Ops working out by the East River noticed that seagulls were hovering over something flapping under the Brooklyn Bridge. It turned out to be a red-tailed hawk that made a “bad choice,” firefighter and metropolitan hawk expert Bobby Horvath told the New York Daily News. “It’s still the migration period, so the bird could have come from somewhere landlocked and not been used to water,” he said.
Once the hawk in distress was rescued, it flew toward the financial district, where it was perhaps late for a meeting with its stockbroker, or hopeful that it would find a few pizza rats for an early dinner.
Instead, the bird proved once again that it maybe isn’t ready for city life, and came this much closer to getting the EGOT of New York City rescue services. The hawk had made it over to the World Trade Center, where a construction crew noticed the bird didn’t look so hot and called up the firefighters at FDNY Engine 10 for some help. One of the firefighters tiptoed behind the hawk and covered it with a sheet, which made it much easier to put the bird in a box.
It was then taken to the station for a quick tour, and will be given the delectable treat of “diced rodents.”
The hawk was not forthcoming about its future sightseeing plans now that it has seen the Brooklyn Bridge and the World Trade Center, but the Statue of Liberty ferry may want to save some room so the hawk doesn’t have to go swimming again.
