Video captures amazing hawk rescue at Foxtail Golf Course in Rohnert Park

Tim Carter of Cotati and golfing buddy Ryan Gomer of Santa Rosa probably hoped for a birdie when they went golfing at Foxtail Golf Course in Rohnert Park Wednesday evening. What they didn't expect was a hawk.

“We were on the second green of the north course, about to putt when we heard crows cawing nonstop,” Carter said. The crows appeared to be cawing at a tree, so Carter and Gomer moved forward to investigate. “I saw the hawk flap once, otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed it.”

The hawk flapped a few more times as Carter came closer, but eventually stilled long enough for Carter to attempt a rescue.

“Neither of us were worried about getting hurt,” Carter said, though he hesitated over the hawk's talons - mostly for hygienic reasons. “They aren't the cleanest of creatures, given their rodent-filled diet,” he said.

Carter used his golf glove for protection as he moved in to rescue the bird, grabbing the bird legs with his gloved hand before wedging it through the tree. He slowly reached for the hawk's head with his bare hand, strategically covering its head and keeping his thumb under its beak to prevent the bird from biting.

“I just pushed and pulled it through, and let go as soon as I could,” Carter said. “It flew off and was uninjured, so that was nice to see.”

This wasn't Carter's first time getting up close and personal with wildlife. Having grown up hunting and fishing, Carter had experience handling wildlife, including ducks, quail, pheasant, turkeys and other animals.

“But never a hawk,” Carter said. “It was definitely one of those oddball ‘you'll never see that again' kind of things, so I'm glad we were able to capture it on video.”

See video of the experience here, or below: