Man attacked by red-tailed hawk puts others on alert

 

WAUATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Two days after a Wauwatosa business park alerted workers to be on the lookout for a couple of potentially vicious birds, and people wondered if it was a joke, it's no laughing matter tonight. One man was hurt as he arrived at the office today.

The man was reportedly just walking through this parking lot on his way into work when something touched his head that literally left claw marks.

The scratch on this man's head, caused by a red-tailed hawk, is thought to be the same hawk that dive bombed and pecked people at Research Park last year.

"He just said that it felt like a blanket coming down on top of him you know, so, but it was so quick," said Nancy Pielmeier.

Staff in this building near Watertown Plank and Mayfair Road have been on alert since Tuesday when a trapper told the front office the hawks may be nesting on their property.

"There are a couple people I work with that are just absolutely terrified of birds in general so to actually have bird attacks happen," said Tom West.

Office management has now set up these cones, steering drivers away from parking under the conifers where it's believed the red-tailed hawk may be nesting, and advising workers to wear hats, or put boxes or umbrellas over their heads when they're outdoors.

"There's a palpable buzz about the attack this morning and obviously a lot of concern for our coworker," said West.

For now, people are walking fast through this lot, but if an attack's going to happen, it'll be fast.

"They'll sit in the tall pine trees and they'll just kind of scan the whole field because their vision is amazing. I mean they can see animals at a tremendous distance," said Matt Snorek of Guaranteed Wildlife Control

The USDA Wildlife Services tells us the property owner must first get a federal permit to capture the bird.

"So, in the scope of my job if someone were to call me and say I want this hawk out of my yard, I can't just go and do that on my own. That has to run through the proper channels of the government to get approval for that," said Snorek.

Workers say the falconer, who's been hired to safely trap the bird, will be back next week using an owl for bate and a bigger net.