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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... DOWNTOWN MEDFORD It's a hard-knock life for one hungry hawk Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 5:24 PM Updated Jan 9, 2015 at 6:27 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 5:24 PM Updated Jan 9, 2015 at 6:27 PM » Social News Downtown Medford played host to a wild and somewhat sanguine show of nature Friday morning when a young but large red-tailed hawk showed passersby how the food chain actually works. The late-morning hum of traffic along South Central Avenue turned into a loud and sharp thud just before 11 a.m. when the hawk, with a pigeon in its talons, smacked into the glass door of the Living Opportunities gallery across from Vogel Plaza. "It just smashed into the door," gallery Director Dan Mish says. "I thought someone was trying to break in. Then I thought wait a minute, that's a bird." Hunting from above, one of Jackson County's most commonly seen hawks apparently plucked the unsuspecting pigeon right out of the air as raptors are occasionally known to do. But being a young hunter, the hawk didn't have its escape plan fully dialed in. As it tried to bank and fly away, it flew right into the door, smearing pigeon innards on the glass, Mish says. "It was quite a sight to see," Mish says. When the door stopped shaking, Mish opened it to find the hawk standing atop its quarry but in no hurry to fly away — possibly because it was momentarily concussed from the crash. Central Avenue motorists and pedestrians stopped to gawk at the hawk, its nearly 2-foot-long body clogging the sidewalk. "Everyone was amazed," Mish says. Mish walked outside to take a closer look at the bird, stepping within 2 feet of it. "I was surprised he didn't fly away," he says. "He just stood there, staring at me. Then I thought, hey, I should be taking pictures." So Mish dashed back into the gallery, grabbed his phone and clicked away. Others followed suit. The bird remained as long as five minutes before it had had enough of the growing citizen paparazzi. The hawk picked up lunch, spread its 4-foot wings and made off to sup someplace less crowded. "It was so big it made the pigeon look like a canary," Mish says. "That was just the coolest." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 5:24 PM Updated Jan 9, 2015 at 6:27 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501