Recently, I’ve had about 30 House Sparrows coming to my feeders, often follow by the hawk.

One day, when I was watering the garden, I noticed a commotion around the feeders. The shadow of a larger bird appears, all the sparrows flew into different directions. I heard something banging into the side wall of the house.

On the ground lay motionless a Cooper's Hawk, with one wing spread open and her eyes remaining closed.

In the pursuit of prey, she didn’t manage to turn or slow down, instead ending up knocking herself unconscious.

I ran back home to grab my camera. I came back and approached her. She opened one eye and attempted to move. She lifted up her wing, and out flew a sparrow. Free and unharmed.

The Hawk, seeing me getting very close started moving slowly. Her wing was still hanging down. I ran back home for a towel, and when I came back she hopped away from me. I stopped and let her rest. After a while she hopped on a nearby tree, up and up, from branch to branch, higher and higher, and disappeared somewhere in the top.

Two days later she was back. I never liked her before, as she harassed my birds, but this time I was happy to see her. She was well.

Here she is, sitting with her dislocated wing.