How A Cypress Life Scout Is Saving Hawks At Long Beach Airport

LONG BEACH, CA — Becoming an Eagle Scout has been a long-time goal for Cypress resident Jonathan Babati, but right now he only has time for one bird: hawks.

The 17-year-old, who is currently a senior at Cypress High School and a member of Cypress Troop 295, has been working to become an Eagle Scout ever since he was a young boy in the Cub Scouts. But to become an Eagle Scout, Babati must complete at least one last rite of passage — a project that tests his leadership and service to others.

His project of choice? A hawk trap project aimed at saving the lives of the sharp-taloned avian that Babati says tend to fly around Long Beach's Airport looking for gophers and other rodents.

Having hawks looking for prey around the airport can be dangerous to both the animal and humans, Babati said.

"There have been incidents where hawks get sucked up into engines," Babati said. "I thought this would be a perfect project to prevent that and help (the airport) save a lot of money."

Although wildlife-aircraft collisions are not exclusive to avians, a 2021 study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reveals hawks and owls are among the birds most frequently struck by aircraft. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, wildlife-aircraft collisions have resulted in $1.48 billion in damages from 1990 to 2023, killing hundreds of people.

With the help of other troop members and his father's friend, Babati uses wood, paint, screws, staples and the thick nylon netting often found in baseball fields to create multi-layered hawk traps. The trap also acts as a temporary cage for the bird.

Babati says the idea is to place a rodent in one of the trap's layers to attract the hawks. The hawks will then land on a plank that folds and traps the bird inside the cage. Neither the hawk nor the rodents are harmed in the process, Babati said.

An environmental scientist will then take the hawk and relocate it to a better habitat, Babati said.

"It was a long process," said Babati. "(Building the traps) feels really good because it's also helping something. It had like a purpose to it."

Working to save hawks while spending time at the airport seemed preordained for Babati.

The grandson and son of airline mechanics, Babati said he grew up watching planes fly overhead at airports and going to airshows.

"I've always been around aircraft," Babati said. "It's always been a fascination with me."

For some time, he wanted to be a pilot or follow in his grandfather's and father's footsteps to work as an airline mechanic. But after graduation, he says he wants to carve out his own path — attending Golden West College and majoring in business.

Still, he plans to continue helping other scout members, passing down the same lessons ingrained in him as a troop member.

"It's like a brotherhood," Babati told Patch. "I've met some lifelong friends."

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