Hawk sits on trooper’s lap in patrol car during surreal rescue on New Hampshire road
It sounds strange that a state trooper in New Hampshire turned a live hawk lose in his patrol car Friday, but the story gets weirder.
The broad-winged hawk not only stayed calm, but it sat like a puppy in the lap of Trooper First Class Mark Magoon, according to the New Hampshire State Police.
This happened Friday along a highway in Warrens, and the hawk’s atypical behavior — atypical for a large bird of prey — was likely due to it being “dazed” by a traffic mishap, officials told McClatchy News.
Investigators believe the hawk was struck by a vehicle, but it was likely a “glancing blow” that left it more stunned than injured. A truck driver saw the bird acting “strangely,” captured it, then called authorities, state officials said.
Magoon was the first to arrive, and he wrapped the bird in a towel and “petted it and kept it calm” in his patrol car for 90 minutes until a game warden picked it up, officials said.
“The hawk was transported to Wings of the Dawn Rehabilitation Center and Bird Sanctuary where a full recovery has been made,” the department wrote in an update. “The hawk will likely be released back into the wild tomorrow (Tuesday).”
Broad-winged hawks have a “piercing whistle” and have a wingspan exceeding 3 feet, according to an All About Birds site from Cornell University. That means the bird could have made life miserable for Magoon in the tight confines of that patrol car.
A photo of the two sitting peacefully in the patrol car — with the bird sticking its tongue out — was shared Monday on Facebook, resulting in 1,500 reactions, comments and shares.
Many lauded Magoon and the truck driver for their kindness, with some joking that it had to be a strange 90 minutes in the patrol car.
“The expression on their faces are epic,” Guy Hughes wrote.
“I can only imagine the sounds this guy made in the car,” Jacob Chaloux posted on the department’s Facebook page.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Hawk sits on trooper’s lap in patrol car during surreal rescue on New Hampshire road."