Hawks return to wreak havoc on Transcona

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This article was published 16/03/2021 (1383 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RESIDENTS of a Transcona neighbourhood are being terrorized by territorial hawks again.

Aggressive Cooper’s hawks have been a fixture of Rosseau Avenue every spring after settling into abandoned ravens’ nests, said Coun. Shawn Nason.

“Transcona’s got a lot of big trees. Big trees attract big birds,” he said.

So far this year, he hasn’t heard about anyone being injured, but in the past, the hawks have swooped down on people who get too close to their nests. People have fallen or received head wounds. As a result, the community remains on high alert.

“It’s for a few weeks of the year while they’re nesting, then it becomes quiet again,” he said. “But it’s still a very stressful period of time, because people are out in the springtime.”

A Cooper’s hawk is a medium-sized hawk native to the North America.

Nason said the province had promised to move the nests before the hawks would return this year, and that promise was not kept.

“It’s still happening because provincial conservation hasn’t done what they had committed to do, and that was to remove the old ravens’ nest that these birds have taken over,” he said.

Nason said there’s still an opportunity to move the hawks because he believes it’s likely the birds haven’t fully nested yet, and hopes the province steps in before they do.

“We’ve talked about, can signs be put up, anything to warn people, and they say it’s the province’s problem,” he said. “It’s challenging.”

A spokesperson from the province said conservation staff went to the area over the weekend and didn’t see any hawks, but have since received reports that they’ve returned.

“We are working to remove potential Cooper’s hawks’ nests in Transcona before March 31, before they begin to nest,” the spokesperson said. “This will help mitigate the risk of these hawks returning to this residential area.”

The spokesperson recommended residents give the birds space, try to avoid running or biking in the area, and travel in a group. For an additional layer of safety, he recommended using an umbrella.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

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