So there's this red-tailed hawk that's been coming to Boston's Fenway Park for years now. One would think an empty ballpark would seem like great habitat to a hawk - high rafters to nest in, lots of pigeons and sparrows for easy prey.
They've usually been able to shoo her away before it nests, but this year she and her mate managed to build a nest near the press box above home plate. Unfortunately, the egg rolled out of the nest and is no longer viable.
But the hawk doesn't know that, so she's still protecting her roost. And when a tour group came through yesterday, the hawk dive-bombed a teenager who happened to be standing nearby. Amazingly, a Boston Globe photographer happened to be there and captured the whole thing. The girl only got a small scratch and wildlife officials removed the nest.Since the teenager wasn't seriously hurt, I think we're free to laugh at an amazing coincidence. Her name? Alexa Rodriguez:
Could it be an omen for Yankee Alex Rodriguez, who once got a catcher's mitt shoved in his face during a scuffle with Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek at Fenway in 2004?In hindsight, the hawk should've been moved sooner, but I don't think it was the worst outcome of the situation. If the hawk was this unsettled by one tour group, what would her reaction have been when 39,000 people filled the place Tuesday afternoon for the home opener?
"I deal in science, not mythology," [assistant director of Fisheries and Wildlife Tom] French said, refusing to make any baseball predictions based on the feisty hawk. "Although you could say she has done a good job protecting her home plate."
4 comments:
Had that story come out on Tuesday, I would have thought it was a joke.
As a long-time Boston fan (behind the Nats, of course) I applaud the hawk for sending a message to A-Rod about the kind of welcome he will receive when he appears at Fenway.
Oh, and I'm glad the kid's okay.
From my dad: "Maybe the hawk can find a lofty roost on top of one of the nearby buildings or some trees in Brookline -- there are lots of places and the rent is very reasonable for a studio-ledge in that area."
Perhaps its a warning to the Red Sox. I didn't see it attacking any Yankee fans?
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