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| 07 October 2013 ©smck |
I am not sure how - or why - this red-tailed hawk got into my neighbours duck pen. The ducks had not been bothered when I arrived nor did Mr. Hawk seem interested in them. He just wanted out! After I took the middle photo above he suddenly flew up into the netting covering the pen and became, not so much entangled but rather entrapped by reflex. It seemed that once his talons closed on the netting and he was trapped upside-down that he was simply hanging on for dear life - and becoming disoriented by the upside-down position. I quickly retrieved a trestle - or saw horse as most people refer to them - from my wood rick and got onto it so that I was positioned higher than the netting. With gloved hands I slowly freed one set of talons and he swung free from one leg. But of course as I started to undo the second set he immediately fastioned the first set once again. Slowly removing all but one of his talons from the first set, I then did the same on the second set. He was now still clinging with both legs but with only one talon each. Taking out my pocket knife I posed it on the single strand of netting which supported his right leg and then with my free left hand I worked the left talon free and fairly simultaneously slashed the other netting. He fell to the ground quite near the gate which my wife now swung open. After a second or two of confusion he lurched like he was light headed through the gate, paused for another few seconds, then launched into quick retreating flight. Ducks safe, hawk free and nice photos. Nice day.
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