NEWARK, N.J. — For nearly three years, dozens of dead and wounded raptors fell into yards in Somers Point, N.J., some with bloodied beaks, others with visible gunshot or pellet wounds.
Pops of gunfire erupted through the neighborhood. Some residents found bullet and pellet holes dotting the sides of their homes.
The birds turned out to be protected hawks that traverse a major migration route. And now a man faces federal charges that he repeatedly shot them from his back door.
Robert Losasso, 68, was arrested Friday on six counts of violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He is charged with killing or attempting to kill red-tailed hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-shouldered hawks and Cooper's hawks.
Clad in a white T-shirt and plaid pants cut off at the knees, Losasso made an initial appearance in Newark federal court on Friday afternoon. He was released on $10,000 bail.