A very aggressive hawk is trapping residents of one Riverview community inside their homes.
The nesting hawk has been attacking neighbors for about three weeks. A hawk’s nesting cycle is about 35 days – or six to seven weeks. That means neighbors might be dealing with this for another three or four weeks.
If they step outside, they risk an attack that can draw blood. The red-tailed hawk is a protected species so removing the nest is mostly out of the question.
Anna Maria Johnson has battle wounds from one attack. Sara Barfield also felt the hawk’s wrath. She now scurries back to safety quickly when she goes outside.
“On three different occasions the hawk has attacked me,” Barfield said.
She has wounds all over her head.
“I haven’t been outside in over a week because every time I go to come outside, it swoops down at me, and I’m terrified to come outside,” Barfield added.
“Hit me and I went forward on the roof the first time. And then the second time, it came and I bent down,” Fred Aguilar said.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman recommended people avoid areas where hawks are nesting and protecting babies.
If that’s not possible, the spokesman encouraged residents to wear a helmet or carry an umbrella.
Maria Aguilar is taking that advice, but she worries about school kids and people walking nearby.
“I don’t want anything to happen to the bird. I understand it, but … if it’s this aggressive, put it in a bigger, wider, wilder place,” she said.
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