Family of hawks halts mail delivery in Liberty

By Jon Moffett

Neighbors hadn’t received mail for about a week because of the birds.

LIBERTY — Deborah Parsons wonders why the U.S. Postal Service never informed her it was holding her mail.

Parsons, 58, who spent the past 30 years living in an apartment in Ontario, Canada, moved to the township in March. She was ecstatic to find a mail slot in the front of her home. She was used to picking up her mail, but the slot was a welcome amenity.

She stopped receiving mail last week, however, without any explanation. She had to call the post office to realize her mail — and the mail of about six other homes on the 3000 block of Fifth Avenue — was being withheld because of a family of hawks.

The birds, two adults and one baby, have claimed a small, wooded area in the front yard of a home. According to Parsons, a female letter carrier had been attacked by one of the birds on her mail route and refused to deliver to the homes.

Representatives for Youngstown’s main post office did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Parsons said she has not been able to speak with anyone at the post office since her initial conversation.

“I’m a little bit irritated with the post office,” she said. “Why couldn’t they just call and tell me there was an issue?”

Parsons and other neighbors said the USPS instructed them to pick up mail from the post office until the birds leave the area or are removed.

Neighbors received their mail over the weekend.

But having just moved, Parsons was expecting insurance forms, personal checks and other time- sensitive materials. She hopes the post office’s delay won’t affect her further.

Vic Dubina, communications specialist with the post office in Cleveland, said it’s not uncommon or unusual for a carrier to refuse delivery on a route.

“We’ve had incidents like this before,” he said. “Our normal policy is that if a carrier feels it isn’t safe to make a delivery, we will ask customers to come pick up their mail.”

Parsons disagreed with Dubina and said the post office is acting out of line by refusing to deliver.

“I am concerned about their safety, too,” she said of the carriers. “But at the same time, the post office telling me to come pick up my own mail is unacceptable.”

Parsons is an admitted bird enthusiast but is unsure of the species.

Dan Kramer, wildlife management supervisor with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said the bird could be one of a few types of hawk indigenous to the area. “This is not an uncommon problem, but I wouldn’t call it common, either,” he said.

He said since many birds of prey are protected, they cannot be lawfully removed during nesting season. He said the nests can be removed or destroyed when the birds migrate for the winter.

Kramer said hawks typically live seven to 10 years and can return to the same nesting ground annually. He said the birds may leave for the winter months but could be back again next spring.

Phillip Boydon, 63, also lives in the neighborhood and has been attacked by the birds. He said he doesn’t blame the post office or the carrier for the decision.

“They’ll fly down and hit me in the head with their knuckles,” he said. “It’s pretty painful.”

Boydon said he discovered the birds tend to stun their prey with such an action. He also said the birds rarely attack from the front, opting instead to hit from behind or from the side.

Though the birds’ initial punch is painful, it’s the sharp talons that concern Boydon: “It’s scary,” he said. “When you get hit in the head, you wonder what will happen if you turn your head at the wrong time and one of those claws gets you in the eye.”

Other neighbors, such as Mel Moss, 67, have reluctantly obeyed the post office’s demand. Picking up the mail is a nuisance, he said.

Moss said he was attacked by the hawk, which left a 3-inch gash on his head. “I got hit on my own property,” Moss said. “If I hadn’t bent down to pick up a weed, that bird would’ve got me right in the face.”

Dubina said if the birds aren’t removed by professionals, there is a good chance the hawks will leave on their own.

“In a similar case down in Columbus, once the young birds were strong enough to fly, they left, so it became safe,” he said. “A hawk is a predatory bird. I’m not sure I’d want to be attacked by it, either.”

jmoffett@vindy.com