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Spoiler Alert: The Red Tail Hawk nest and family are thriving!
Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control was called to a building site in the Greater Toronto Area; A Red Tail Hawk nest with a baby (eyas) had been discovered atop a crane. Red Tail Hawks are notoriously fiercely protective and will aggressively defend their nest and offspring – so there was valid concern for the safety of the workers and the progress of the building project.
Observing the Red Tail Hawk Nest and Making a Plan
Representatives from both the crane company and the builder gathered on site along with Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control falconers and nest removal specialists. It was determined that the safest way to go about removing and relocating the nest would be to actually dismantle the crane, taking down the top end piece of it where the nest was located. Much caution was needed here to avoid Hawkeye staff and construction crew working on top of the jib getting turned into a piñata, impaled, or slashed by red tail mom and dad. It was further discovered that there was more than one pair of hawks at this site.
Dismantling the Crane
Preparations went underway to begin the dismantling of the jib - the additional boom extension - from the main boom of the crane. The process involved disconnecting hydraulic lines, retracting the crane’s extensions and then removing the jib from the main boom.
Day One
Crane workers were supported by Hawkeye falconers while climbing along the boom to dismantle the lines. Work in this type of environment always requires extensive safety precautions; not only while removing the pressure from the hydraulic lines before disconnecting them but also while hauling specialized tools and safety gear and doing all this at dizzying heights.
The Hawkeye crew was there to protect the crane workers with pyrotechnics - noise makers to temporarily scare away the hawks. The red-tails seemed undisturbed by the activity and no pyrotechnics were necessary on the first day of the operation. All went according to plan.
Day Two
On day two, the removal of the actual jib commenced. One of the crane workers climbed on top of the jib to the upper platform (closer to the nest) to remove the pins and cable. The female red-tailed hawk, who had left the area of the nest, dove at the worker and required Hawkey specialists to spring into action and deploy pyrotechnics to keep the hawk away from the worker on top of the jib. Pyrotechnics were consistently needed thereafter to keep the hawks at a safe distance. Great care was taken to not fire at or near the nest and traumatize the eyas in the nest.
Moving the Red Tail Hawk Baby and the Nest
The hawks circled the area and kept a watchful eye on their nest. Once the jib was down, Hawkeye was able to remove the eyas from the nest and take it to a nearby roof top (with previous permission from the owners of that roof). The nest was then also removed from the jib and moved by wheel barrel to the roof top. Last, but not least, the eyas was returned to the relocated nest.
There was fresh food in the nest that had been put there by the parents, so the eyas was well taken care of in terms of food and in the immediate after math. The parents were observed in the vicinity of the newly relocated nest and eyas.
Another Successful Red Tail Nest Relocation by Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control
Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control technicians stayed on site daily to ensure the safety of the workers and to oversee the reuniting of the eyas with the adult red-tailed hawks. The hawk parents have resumed raising their little one and are seen bringing squirrels and rats to feed the eyas. Thankfully, they do not seem to be disturbed by the construction activity next door.
As always, law enforcement was notified in advance of the use of pyrotechnics and appropriate government permits were obtained.
This Bird of Prey nest removal and relocation was a great success with little disturbance to the red-tailed hawks and fantastic cooperation from everyone involved. Contact Hawkeye today if your project is halted by Red Tail Hawks or other birds of prey - we can help!