Hawk lands in school bus

LEXINGTON, Mass. — A 15-pound red-tailed hawk flew aboard a school bus on Tuesday and had to be coaxed out by police and animal control officers.

As reported by the Lexington Patch, Lexington Public Schools bus driver Ellen Murphy had parked her bus outside her home when she heard what sounded like a knock on the door, but no one was there. Then, when Murphy got back on the bus to leave, she spotted a stowaway.

"[The hawk] came out from where she was between the seats, and I saw it," Murphy told the news source. "So then I ran off the bus and around to open up the door, because I thought maybe she would fly out the back."

The bus driver called police, and officers arrived on the scene. Stephanie Doucette, an animal control officer, told the Lexington Patch that the hawk had likely flown in through an open window and then hit its head on the other side of the bus. But there was no blood, and the bird appeared to be in excellent health.

The officers used a broom to gently nudge the hawk toward the rear door of the bus, where it flew out.

With the feathered stowaway gone, Murphy was able to head out in time to make her afternoon runs.

To read the full story and to view photos of the hawk in the bus, go here.