The possible goshawk at Skagit Regional Airport

Bait and switch continued

 So, you could say that I did a bait and switch. Or a bait and one- half switch. Or a bait and one and  one half switch. Now, back to the continuation of the subject and how it is possible that two accipiters, different species pulled a bait and switch. That goshawk which flew over the thin tree line, kept going. It did not go to perch. What happened was that the goshawk flew over the perched Cooper’s Hawk. Probably did not even make a pass or an attack on the perched Cooper’s. I have observed a raptor of one species fly over another perched raptor and not bother to harass the perched raptor, many times. This bait and switch was pulled on me in Tucson. The hawk in flight was a goshawk and the perched hawk, was a Cooper’s. To define— both accipiter were not apparent at the same time. Bait and Switch.NB.

, The Thought: Should I do an essay on you and your right to vote and how you have been for many years been fooled. Again— The bait and switch. Has nothing to do with which party.NB.

My mis- information

 Sorry for the delay of the photograph of the previous post. The two of us has finally learned how to insert a photo from my wi- fi camera into my blog. Also, I mis- remembered what William Clark has written and what Brian Wheeler has painted. They say and show a perched goshawk with a tapered or wedge shaped tail. The tail looks like a dagger. The tail tip is pointed- sharply.

Now, will you see this condition often? No. And probably mainly in winter.

I submitted to Tweeters, the ABA listserve for Washington, about the sighting at the airport, and said I will send a report the WOS — Washington Ornithological Society. I will not sent a report, because the photo does not nail the species as Goshawk. The only time I will submit a Scientific Report is when I have a detailed photograph.

Here is what might have happened concerning the sighting. The raptor was at 75- 100 feet altitude to my right front. The bird flapped about 10 times and crossed my front. Then the raptor when over the thin tree line. This was about 100 yards to my front. When I approached this area and found a hole in the tree line, there was a perched accipiter, away from the tree line. Two single photos were snapped at the lens at two thousand mm. Does the photo nail the species. I say NO. To be continued on the next posting. NB.

Goshawk and photo- Skagit Regional Airport

 A  Goshawk, probably female, cut across my path near the highway. The hawk was at 100 feet elevation and went to perch. One photo was taken. The sun was toward the front and side of the hawk. Therefore, most “field marks” and “details” are lacking. However, I will go against my scripture and analyze this photograph for you.

The photo is of an accipiter. The tail- tip is wedge shaped. William Clark writes that a goshawk has a wedge shaped tail - tip.This might be true in many cases but not all cases. So, how we turn an  unsubstantial factor into a substantial factor? How about — The chance of you observing a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp- shinned Hawk with a wedge shaped tail is very slim! It is my understanding that Goshawks have a wide or broad tail when completely folded. To me this photograph does not show a broad tail. It could be that the body feathers were fluffed, therefore the tail width would not appear broad. The temperature was about 45 degrees with wind at about 2 miles per hour.

To wrap up this small part of my philosophy of raptor- photo analysis: This photo is of a goshawk only because of the wedge shaped tail. In other words, if this photo did not present the distinct tail tip, then I would call this photograph: An Accipiter. Much more to say on: Why I do not care to analyze my many photos of Goshawks in Tucson, Apache Junction, AZ. And N. Whidbey Island and Anacortes. And why I do not care to analyze your photos for you. In due time, I will place the photo on the posting. NB.

Accipiter identification

This from a report on the internet: The Identification  of North American Accipiters.

Seventy man- years of watching and trapping distilled herewith : How to, and how not to, identify accipiters. Helmet C. Mueller, Daniel D. Berger and George Allez.

This you will not find in this article: Wing shape, wing holding, and wing movement. In other words, the article is about a dead specimen or a live, hand held bird. The authors do write of the mechanics of wing speed compared to wing structure and wing length. I say, wing speed can vary, depending on many factors. However, wing speed is only a small part of wing action.

The take-away: A very interesting, informative article. It will open the eyes of many birders. However, this article, scientific paper, is not about hawk watching. NB.

Raptor solving

 I will be posting some comments on raptor solving photos from whatbird.com. This does not violate my rule— I will not analyze your photograph for you and I will not analyze my many photos of NG for you. I prefer to let you stew in your raptor problems of identification. And will have a lengthy essay on the subject. In other words, we are dealing with third- party photographs.

Whatbird.com posted NOV. 21 2020. Sharp shinned Hawk? Sacramento, California, by Aiden. As of now only two people commented. Possibly no more will comment because the top gun has made his answer to the question. Tony Luekering is affiliated with the web site and is thought as an expert, he is not an expert on raptor identification. But, let me walk it back, in the field he may be an expert. I say that raptor identification from photos of raptors in flight can be difficult and many time I will lay off the question of — What species. Maybe Tony should have not tried to nail the species. This photo in question is not a Cooper’s Hawk. It is a Sharp- shinned Hawk. However, I should walk it back, it is possible to be a Goshawk. They are basically the same structure. But, some, maybe most Sharp- shinned Hawks have a “waist”. This bird has no waist. It is, therefore is, not a Cooper’s Hawk. Caution — be very aware of what the comments state on this Whatbird.com website. NB.

Female Goshawk

 Female NG at about 100 feet altitude. The road leading into Skagit Regional Airport, very near the highway, which is Highway 20. NB.