Northern Goshawk - Need I Say More?

Yep, you are reading it right!  If you had to read it twice to be sure, that's how Bill felt on the call.  He simply had to satisfy himself it was the right call.  That's the way it sometimes is, when you know you are seeing a wonderful spot alone.  You even second guess yourself...but the details bear out and you know! And he knew he had seen a wonderful bird to report.

Jimmy and I had discussed before this year's season, that the sightings for Northern Goshawk completely surrounded our state, so why weren't we getting an  occasional one.  There was one hawk last year that we simply couldn't get our head around, which we always wondered - might it have been?.  So we had actually studied the bird some just in case.  But when I asked, why might we be missing it? Jimmy replied that it might have something to do with the time of year. And he was right.

Was this one so unique or was coverage over the last several years, not being all day, everyday, like during BW season, cheating us out of an occasional Goshawk?  Well, the roll of the dice was truly nice for Bill. And we are excited to report that he was there on a lucky or divinely blessed day! Our last report for one was in 1995!

Here's the report - What other sightings did the Goshawk overshadow in 6 hours? Read it to find out! Wow!!!

Saturday
November 11, 2017


"Very high barometric pressure today. The "heavier" air can sometimes put a damper on the hawk flight.

Weather: Clouds: 25% @ 9:30 (high, thin cirrus), increasing to 50% @ 2:00 and 60% @ 3:00. Wind: N 1-2 @ 9:30, changing  by 10:00 to SE 2-5 and staying there for the rest of the day. Temperature : 40F @ 9:30,  gradually increasing to 60F @ 3:00. Barometric pressure: 30.40 - 30.41 from 9:30 - 11:00, 30.39 @ 12:00, 30.36 @ 1:00, 30.33 @ 2:00, 30.31 @ 2:00. Humidity: 73% - 50%. Visibility : 60 - 65K. 

Raptors by the hour:

9:30-10:00 - 0

10:00-11:00 - 0

11:00-12:00 - TV 34, NH 1, NG 1 

12:00-1:00 - TV 11, RT 1

1:00-2:00 - TV 4, BE 1, RS 1, RT 4

2:00-3:00 - SS 1

3:00-3:30 - 0

TOTAL RAPTORS: 59 

(TV 49, BE 1, NH 1, SS 1, NG 1, RS 1, RT 5)

I struggled with the Northern Goshawk call. It is not a species we usually expect at Soddy Mountain. I first spotted it in the distance and soaring very high, and initially I had it pegged as a sharpie. However, as it came in high over the lookout this bird appeared quite large - bigger and bulkier than a Cooper's Hawk - so large that for awhile I thought it was a Red-shouldered Hawk. It flapped and glided accipiter-like, but so do Red-shoulders at times. I looked close for "windows" in the wings. There were none. The configuration of the wings in a glide was also different than Cooper's, with primaries that dropped back considerably behind the trailing edge of the wings. The tail was long - longer than a Red-shoulder ' s would be,  and wide - wider than Cooper's. The head projected like a Cooper's, but It just didn't have that long "stretched-out" look I associate with a Cooper's Hawk. I wish it could have been closer and the light better, as I couldn't make out any plumage field marks. It just looked all dark. It passed overhead, but high. I'll admit I was puzzled, and just couldn't call it a commonly - seen Cooper's Hawk, so I consulted "Hawks in Flight", "Hawks at a Distance", and "Hawks From Every Angle".  In "Hawks in Flight"  Pete Dunne states, "Rule of thumb: If you initially identify a bird as a buteo,  but the closer it gets you realize it is an accipiter,  think Goshawk."  I'm making the call of Northern Goshawk, based on everything I saw. 

The adult Bald Eagle  at 1:30 was a much easier identification. It sailed down the valley 100 feet under the lookout. It was a real treat to see it from above as it sailed over the countryside below.

The Northern Harrier was an immature. The Red-shouldered Hawk was an adult.

Other notable birds: Seen fairly close over north ridge - Canada Geese (5), followed by one lone Snow Goose. It was striking how much smaller the Snow Goose was. It was having to work hard to keep up. A strange grouping. Wonder what it was doing following the larger Canada's?

Sandhill Cranes: 17 total -first seen this fall.

Monarch butterfly 1

Counter: Bill Haley,  9:30-3:30

Reporting: Bill Haley"

 

______________________________________

 

GO BILL!

 

Jimmy told me last night that when he posted the data to Hawkcount.org, he noticed large numbers of Golden Eagles had been posted all along the Eastern Counts.  If you can stand the cold, and sometimes the cold winds, now is an amazing time to go Hawk Watching. But at least check out the Hawkcount site.  It's great fun to see what is being reported by other sites as well.

 

At the very least, where ever you are today and for all of November-

 

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!!