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Hawks chicks removed from nest after attack

PITTSBURGH — A pair of red-tailed hawk chicks have been removed from their Pittsburgh nest after the parents attacked a woman who lives nearby.
 
The fearless Jeff Finch gently lowered the chicks from 75 feet high from a tree.
 
"They looked pretty big.  They were still a little fuzzy.  We had watched the mother clean them," said Eileen Bridge, the hawk victim.
 
The Pennsylvania Game Commission on Wednesday took possession of the baby hawks. They will be raised and released into the wild when ready.
 
Bridge told officials that on Saturday one of the parent hawks flew right at her head and knocked her unconscious. She suffered a black eye and bruises, and other area residents reported close calls, too.
 
"My husband couldn't believe how bloody I was.  He's a Vietnam veteran, and he said, 'You look like you were in combat,'" said Bridge.
 
Jim Bonner, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, said it was an unusual situation and the Game Commission decided removal was best for the chicks and the people in the area. He said the adult hawks will now likely abandon the nest.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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