A red-shouldered hawk is perched on a branch.
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mySA
By Steven Santana
Residents of a neighborhood in South Austin have to go collect their mail from the post office this week after a protective bird put a halt to deliveries. The South Congress Post Office said that it halted mail deliveries to residents in and around Milam Place and Kenwood Avenue on Friday, July 7, due to recent hawk attacks, Fox 7 Austin reports.
Axios reported that around 20 homes must pick up their mail at the nearby post office until it is safe to resume mail deliveries. When that will be is unclear as resident must still pick up their mail as of Thursday, July 13, Fox 7 reports. The U.S. Postal Service said in a statement to FOX 7 that it is working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to find a resolution since hawks are a protected species.
Wildlife biologist Blake Hendon with TPWD told Fox 7 that the territorial hawk might be a red-shouldered hawk. The hawk dive bombs toward people's heads as they get close to wherever it is nested.
"That's one of our more common resident nesting hawks in the area," Hendon told Fox 7. "This is the time of year that they have constructed nests earlier in the season. They've laid eggs. And now at this point in time in the season, they are raising their young."
Axios reported earlier on July 3 that Central Texas has seen a rise in hawk attacks around this time. Hendon told Fox 7 that if people can't avoid an area where a hawk is nesting, they can use an umbrella for protection.