Red-tailed Hawk landing on nest, Bobst Library, NYU, New York City

Hawk emergency contact information

Below is contact information for people who can help the Washington Square Park Hawks in case of an emergency.

Should you see or hear about a trapped or injured Hawk, please contact:

Bobby Horvath of WINORR (Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation): (516) 293-0587

Sgt Rob Mastrianni, Urban Park Ranger: (646) 339-3833. He can also be reached at robmastrianni@gmail.com.

They are professionals who know the Washington Square Park Red-tailed Hawks and would provide quick help (either themselves or through a delegate) and determine what care the Hawk would need.

If a fledgling Hawk is seen standing on the sidewalk or a bench, allow it some space and see if it will fly up and away on its own. There are times when a perfectly healthy young Hawk is chasing something and will go to ground level in pursuit. This is normal behavior for these birds who don’t understand that a sidewalk is not where it’s ‘supposed’ to be.

The Hawk should be on its way soon if given the space to fly away. It’s important to give the Hawks a wide berth in these cases because crowding these birds will sometimes scare them into not moving. So please stand by if possible and see if the Hawk leaves the area and goes to a more secure location (a building or tree).

However, if a Hawk appears to be dragging a wing or has a clear injury then please immediately call the above numbers for help. Do not attempt to catch the Hawk because you and/or the Hawk may get injured.

If you need to call for Hawk help while in Central Park, the Ranger Office number there is (212) 360-1444.

For Inwood Hill Park the number is (212) 304-2277.

Thank you!

Posted in Special Topic: Rescue
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