A Tanah Merah resident had an unforgettable experience when a juvenile crested goshawk suddenly appeared at his doorstep on Jan. 3.

He managed to coax the startled fledgling into his garden, where it gradually recovered its strength before flying off.

The man, Adam Maniam, excitedly took to the "Singapore Wildlife Sightings" Facebook group on Jan. 5 to share about his experience with the unexpected avian visitor.

A surprise visitor

That day, at about 8am, Adam was about to leave for work when his neighbour called out to him, "There's a bird, there's a bird!"

Walking over, Adam was surprised to find a juvenile crested goshawk sitting right outside his gate.

As forest-inhabiting birds of prey, crested goshawks are rarely found in urbanised areas, preferring to stay in the canopy or middle storey of forests.

The bird didn't seem injured, but when Adam and his wife contacted the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), they were told to monitor it as it was probably "in shock".

Adam figured that the surrounding noises — including dogs barking, passing vehicles and the excited chattering of neighbours — had spooked it.

"It looked shocked, stressed and tired with its mouth wide open and tongue hanging out," he wrote.

Adam explained to Mothership that he typically wouldn't interfere with wildlife in their natural habitats, but in this case he was worried that the startled bird might make a dash onto the road and get injured or killed.

So he felt compelled to do something.

Luring the bird into his garden

Adam devised a plan to lure the bird — which his wife's friends nicknamed 'Hawk Siong' —  into the safety of his garden.

He started by bringing Hawk Siong a cup of distilled water in case it was thirsty.

He also spoke to the fledgling the same way he would deal with young children, with a calm and even tone.

“Don’t worry darling, you’ll be safe in my house, we won’t let the cats or cars get to you, ok?” he whispered to it.

Amazingly, this worked.

Once the bird was more relaxed, Adam tried gently nudging it inside his porch with an umbrella.

This plan was interrupted when a lorry drove by, causing the startled bird to run out.

Adam eventually managed to lure Hawk Siong into a cardboard box, before ferrying it into his garden.

Grew in confidence

Adam said that the fledgling rested in a corner of the garden for a while before it started exploring the place.

Soon, with confidence restored, Hawk Siong began preening itself, hopping around and even taking short flights.

This allowed Adam to snap impressive close-up shots of the raptor.

One of its trips left it perched on a frangipani tree in Adam's garden.

"As time passed, it began to look every inch the majestic raptor that it was," Adam wrote.

'Raptor' is another name for a bird of prey.

Crested goshawks are known to hunt small mammals, birds and reptiles in forests and plantations, according to NParks.

Their time with Hawk Siong, however, would soon come to an end.

At about 11:15am, it flew up to the awning at the side of Adam's house.

He and his wife rushed up to get a view of the raptor from their second-storey window, but that would be the last they would see of it.

Without warning, Hawk Siong spread its wings and flew off, disappearing out of sight.

"Thus ended one of my most special days as a nature [and] bird lover," Adam wrote.

Hopes it will make a return visit

Adam told Mothership that he's lived in the Tanah Merah area for 30 years, and walks around the area frequently to photograph wildlife.

However, this was the first crested goshawk he's seen in the area.

It was an eventful morning for Adam, who sent work emails from home while taking turns with his wife to keep an eye on the bird.

But to him, it was worth it.

Adam wrote that he's thankful his wife had such a nice garden for Hawk Siong to feel comfortable in.

"I never expected to have a goshawk hopping, flying [and] perching in my garden and it was wonderful to have [it] there for a few hours," he wrote.

He also hoped Hawk Siong would be back soon.

"Fly far, fly free, hunt well. I hope you spend the rest of your days in forests with lots of lizards and rats but if for some reason you ever need a space to chill out, please do come back," he concluded in his post.

Young goshawk believed to have crashed: ACRES

In response to Mothership's enquiries, a spokesperson from ACRES said that the organisation's wildlife rescue team got a call about the raptor on the morning of Jan. 3, and confirmed it was a young crested goshawk.

"Luckily, we believe this young goshawk could have crashed with no injuries and the little raptor managed to fly off after getting some rest. It is still likely guided by its parents," the spokesperson said.

"We are glad that the bird managed to fly off on its own."

More cases of crested goshawks in urban areas seen: ACRES

The spokesperson added that crested goshawks were a rare sight a decade ago but now are seen more often, with many cases of them nesting in urban areas.

"This could be due to food availability like rodents and other common animals like mynas and pigeons," the spokesperson explained.

ACRES has also attended to several cases to reunite fledglings that have dropped over the years.

Members of the public who see wildlife in distress are advised to call the ACRES hotline at 9783 7782.

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Top image courtesy of Adam Maniam.