Yesterday on my way to work, I noticed a bird of prey of some sort stuck in the glass overhang at the entrance to the mall. He had apparently flown in after a sparrow and could not figure out how to get out. I contacted the mall to let them know, but I wasn’t too concerned because I was certain he would find his way out by nightfall. He did not manage to and by the end of the day he was exhausted from bashing himself against the glass all day. At first the mall office would not allow me to help, but they relented and told me I could trap him if he was still there in the morning.
I went back early this morning to find him still perched in the glass dome. I had hoped he was a juvie redtail (I couldn’t get a good look at him) but something about the tail and the bird’s silhouette bothered me… I tossed the trap and he took just a minute to slam into it. He didn’t trap himself the first time so I had to wait for him to take another shot. He did and I moved in to subdue him and get him off the trap. I had trapped an adult sharp-shinned hawk (he could have been a cooper’s but his color was diffused on his chest and his tail was square). I didn’t get any usable photos but I am attaching a photo of what he looked like.
Still no redtail for me but a productive morning none the less. He was a beautiful bird.
The Flight of Falconry 