Another profound statement

I am going to get into trouble with some people, some people are going to get after me. Don Freiday has posted: If you think you have observed Goshawk, well, you probably have not. I take the other side - if you think you observed a Goshawk then you probably have observed a Goshawk. Here is why.

Northern Goshawks are moving into cities and suburbs and have been doing so for many years. Goshawks started moving into cities and suburbs shortly after Cooper’s Hawks started moving into cities and suburbs. Goshawks love the wind, sun, clouds, and thermals. Understand that raptors cannot hide in the sky, only during migration. Resident raptors will seldom go into clouds. You have observed Goshawks, your neighbors have observed Goshawks, your friends have observed Goshawks. To take it one step further— They have observed Goshawks, their friends have observed Goshawks, their neighbors have observed Goshawks. I am referring to the two birders at the Ina Road dam in Tucson.

If you say you think you observed a Goshawk — then you probably did observe a Goshawk. And now the experts, the members of the record committees, the Audubon field trip leaders are going to be put into a situation where they are going be spending extra time in the field trying to refind your bird. And spend time explaining to you that that individual  on the internet is spreading misinformation and is planting a seed. He is using psychology to make you think and if you think enough and long enough then what you wish for will become realized. He is a hoaxer.

If you think you observed a Goshawk because it was too large for a Cooper’s Hawk, then that is a good qualifier. If you start to elaborate on the tail, the length, the banding, the terminal band, the color of the band , thickness of the band— then you are going off the deep end. You should only be discussing concrete information. You must use the proper words to describe your observation. If you do not present the proper words to the people in charge, then your information will be put on the back burner or possibly discarded.

Here is what I call concrete information. An explanation of this website. This website is not about the color, pattern or “field marks” of raptors. In other words, I am not interested in the skin, outercoating, feathers, patina, covering of a raptor. I am interested in what I call the “meat” of the bird. The action and behavior of the hawk. On other words, hawks in flight. This site deals with resident raptors; Where they breed and where they migrate, even if they migrate only ten miles. Here is concrete information. An accipiter in flight, it must be active flight or in a glide— draw an imaginary line across the wrists of the accipiter. If the head protrudes outside of this line, the hawk is not a Goshawk or a Sharp- shinned hawk. However, and this could be called advanced hawking, a Goshawk can “ mimic” a Cooper’s hawk wing beats. If the streaking is thick and extensive with a few spots of white peeking through it is a Goshawk. Some people call it a checker board pattern. Wing beats of NG are usually very deep, very rapid, and very flexible. Or somewhat loose and relaxed and reaching forward. Is this what some authors call “rowing motion?” Wing holding - will be stiff and flat, no dihedral. But, this might depend on the wind speed, and if the hawk is soaring upward, hence a slight dihedral.

Now for the profound statement. Hawks in Flight— Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton. Copywrite 1988. Page 70. Go chase!

Can you identify the Red-tailed hawk ( RTHA), I mean in flight. There are some people who have little faith in identifying RTHA at let us say, one mile away. Can you identify the RTHA at two miles away with 8x binoculars? Why not, it is the same raptor at two miles as at one mile. In other words, it is the same shape and proportions and wing beats and wing holding at two miles and at one mile. Now on Puget Sound there should not be a problem, but in the East you could run into the Broad-winged Hawk and the Red-shouldered Hawk. Also, in both cases a dark eagle has to be contemplated. It is possible that in your report you cannot express the proper words to attach to your sighting, but that does not mean that you are wrong in your simple statement “ I don’t think the hawk was a Cooper’s, I think it was a goshawk.”

Back to the profound statement: It is called Rule of Thumb. Note- I call it Rule Number One. Rule of Thumb is simple, profound, and elegant. And if you voice the Rule it is eloquent. The Rule does your  “dirty work” for you. In order to use the Rule, you must understand the RTHA.

There is one more factor — my profound statement. That accipiter in the sky during non-migration is probably not a Cooper’s Hawk. Cooper’s Hawks do not have an affinity for the sky during non-migration. Be happy, be healthy.