What appears to be a Cooper's Hawk has taken shelter inside the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress. First spotted Wednesday night, the bird of prey may have flown in through a broken window at the top of the Main Reading Room's 160-foot high dome, and it hasn't yet found its way out.
Reference librarians have furiously been looking through the library's collection of books on birds, including "Sibley’s Guide to North American birds," to identify the bird and find a way to lure it down.
They've also been consulting their community of fans on the web. When asked how the library knows the bird is a Cooper's Hawk, a Library of Congress representative says, "We’ve been getting a lot of comments on our Facebook page and blog from people who seem to know what they are talking about."
Photo by Abby Brack-Courtesy of Library of Congress)
Text Source: Washington Post weblog
CWL: It is a gorgeous bird, isn't it? Most libraries worry about mildew, mold spores and mice. LOC librarians worry about a hawk. I wonder what the Federal Regulations are about cleaning up hawk poop? The Department of Environmental Protection is close by, isn't it?
