Juvenile Cooper’s Hawk safely released after warehouse rescue at Picatinny Arsenal

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — A juvenile Cooper’s hawk was safely released after flying into a warehouse at Picatinny Arsenal on Oct. 28. An employee with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division contacted the U.S. Army Garrison Picatinny Arsenal Environmental Affairs Division after the bird entered the warehouse space. Ian Gray, the installation’s natural resources manager, identified the bird as a juvenile Cooper’s hawk, a member of the Accipiter family often called “forest hawks.” “Cooper’s hawks have long tails specialized for handling fast, tight turns in the woods while hunting small mammals and other birds,” Gray said. “This maneuverability makes them very tricky to catch in these types of situations.” After the hawk did not leave the building on its own, Gray and Pest Management Specialist Bret Graff used long-handled nets to encourage it to fly out through a bay door.

The bird remained inside despite several attempts. To avoid overstressing the hawk, Gray and Graff paused periodically to allow it to rest. Eventually, Gray positioned himself on a set of stairs and caught the bird with a net as it flew across the warehouse. “Luckily, I have more than 10 years of bird-handling experience and was able to quickly take the bird out of the net so I could assess it for