Sidewalk taped off until hawk fledgelings leave the nest

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Campus officials have blocked off a section of sidewalk between the Maeser and Brimhall buildings in order to protect students from aggressive nesting hawks.

BYU Grounds setting up caution tape around the sidewalk between the Brimhall and Maeser buildings (Troy Cressman).
BYU grounds crew sets up caution tape around the sidewalk between the Brimhall and Maeser buildings (Troy Cressman).

Due to the reports of attacks and media attention, Risk Management requested the BYU grounds crew to tape off their nesting area in order to decrease the risk of further injury.

“The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources suggested we use caution tape to give the hawks some additional space to protect people on campus as well as the birds,” BYU spokesperson Natalie Tripp said in an email.

The caution tape will be up until the fledgelings leave the nest, which is expected to be sometime around the end of June.

“The empty nest will be removed when the birds leave so the birds won’t return to the spot next year,” Tripp said.

Even were the hawk attacks to continue, the nest wouldn’t be removed because Cooper’s Hawks are a federally protected species. Tripp hopes the caution tape and news coverage will help people avoid the nesting area until the end of June, when the birds leave the nest.

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