Ellsworth Police had their hands full Saturday afternoon, after getting a call reporting what turned out to be a Peregrine falcon had become trapped in a local store.
The incident was first reported by the Bangor Daily News.
In a Facebook post, police said they received a call from a business in the downtown area reporting a “big hawk” had flown into the store.
The falcon, police said, was reportedly bouncing off a window, trying to get out.
Officers responded to find the falcon in the building. Police stated that, “eventually the hawk, or what was determined to be a Peregrine falcon, was safely rescued and released.”
A photo posted to the Facebook feed showed an officer releasing the falcon outside after having wrapped it in his jacket.
“One of the officers was so concerned to not stress the falcon that he became stressed himself, so, dispatch offered him $5 to go buy himself a milk shake,” police noted on Facebook. “Both the officer and the falcon are now calm and happy.”
According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Peregrine falcons are predatory birds known for their speed. A diving Peregrine falcon has been known to reach speeds of 200 mph, according to the department’s website.
Peregrine falcons are listed in Maine as “endangered,” according to the department. Exact populations in Maine were not available, but the department noted the birds were thought to have vanished from the state and the northeastern part of the US altogether by the 1960s.
Since a group was spotted nesting in Piscataquis County in 1987, however, the department has noted the Peregrine falcon population is experiencing a comeback.