What we feared is true: the tiercel's accident

Through the kindness of strangers.... 

This was never more true than when Mike Thierfelder posted information this morning on the Hawkaholic facebook page that told us what had happened to Dad.  Mike joined the group so that he could share this sad news about witnessing the tiercel's end early Saturday morning on the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) that runs right by the Art Museum just across the river.

"Hello, I have unfortunate news about what happened to Dad. On Saturday morning at about 6:30 AM I was driving east on I-76 when I witnessed a Red Tail Hawk struck and killed by a small truck in the left lane several car lengths ahead of me. The location was just west of the 30th Street underpass, between the BFP [Ben Franklin Parkway] split and the 30th Street on- ramp. Given the location and timing this was certainly Dad.

The bird came out from under the truck, skidded across the road ahead of me and ended on the right shoulder. I am positive it was a red tail. He may still be there on the shoulder."

Emily Spahr also  joined the Facebook page to tell us: "I saw the bird there at approx noon on Saturday morning. Same exact position you saw."

Mike and Emily also contacted the Franklin Institute to share this information. Huge thanks go to them from us all for their persistence in figuring out how to get this news to the hawk fans and the Franklin Institute. 

Carolyn Sutton went out this morning to see if she could find the tiercel's remains, but was unsuccessful.  There are several work crews in that area, so someone probably picked him up.  Now that there is so much publicity about this sad event, we may learn more in the coming days.

Carolyn shared these observations:

"Just returned from driving the area of I-76 described by Mike. Most definitely the red-tail killed there was Dad; it was so VERY much his primary hunting ground - directly across the river from the Schuylkill Banks Park across the off-ramp from Spring Garden Bridge next to the Art Museum where we have watched him so many times over four years. Unfortunately, although I drove the route twice, there was no sign of Dad on the shoulder of the road. There are many construction crews/lane closures in area, and I believe some worker or other cleaned up the remains. The area there was very clean (no trash, litter, anything) considering the 24/7 traffic.     Though I am heartbroken, it is not hard for me to understand that Dad was killed in this way. I have seen him swoop low in pursuit of prey across traffic lanes in this area on many occasions over four  years. The traffic is fast moving and non-stop, 24/7.  We stalkers have witnessed many close calls and I thank the Lord every day that the FI hawks were so successful for four years."

*                    *                    *                    *                    *                    *                             

As hard as it is to accept this awful reality for Dad, I am glad that he was not poisoned or trapped, or suffered a slow death from an injury.  It seems right that he was airborne, swooping in the early morning sun, and hunting for his family right to the end.