On a beautiful day, it is wonderful to have all the doors and windows open and bring in the fresh air and a bit of the outdoors. But I’ve had situations where I’ve brought in more of the outdoors than I bargained for. I’m sitting there, drinking my coffee and minding my own business, when the flutter of feathers mars the loveliness of the morning. I have a bird in my house. Now image that it isn’t just any Washington DC bird, but a beautiful hawk with very sharp talons, not to mention that beak.

After you get over the shock of having such a magnificent District of Columbia bird in your home, you must stay calm. Birds get stressed out just being out of their natural surroundings. Don’t try to sweep or chase it out. Birds are also more delicate than you may think, even Washington DC hawks made for hunting, and so brooms and the like are out. You could injure or kill the bird. That could get you in trouble with the government too, as some hawks are considered endangered. You don’t want to be attacked either.

The first thing would be to corral any household pets into a place where they can’t get to the Washington DC hawk and the hawk can’t get to them. Remember, the hawk is a bird of prey, so small dogs or cats; snakes, mice or rats may make it hungry. Seeing such a majestic bird flying through the air while hunting is an amazing sight. You just don’t want to see it in your house. Once the pet situation is taken care of, open as many windows and doors as you can. Hawks have excellent eyesight, so it may fly out without any encouragement. This would be the best way, because it could attack if it feels threatened, or hurt itself if it panics. Fortunately, birds such as hawks do not panic the way other species of District of Columbia birds do.

If after a while, the hawk is still in the house, it could be ill. Don’t try to get the bird out yourself. This is a job for a Washington DC professional. Go online and look for an animal rescue team that specializes in birds of prey. Most cities have some sort of organization that rescues animals in distress. The wonderful thing about this, beside the fact that they know what they are doing, is that the can tag and release the animal or bring it in for medical care if it is determined to be sick. It is the best situation all around. The District of Columbia hawk is well cared for, and you can go back to your coffee.

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