Day out with some of the guys from the Yorkshire Hawking Club
- Steve Bradley
- Nov 14, 2021
- 2 min read
Star of the show for me personally today was the Goshawk, But all the birds were fantastic and very well looked after.
Known as the phantom of the forest, goshawks can fly through the trees at up to 25 miles per hour as they hunt birds and small mammals. The goshawk is similar to the sparrowhawk, but much larger. In flight they appear powerful, with broad wings and a long, rounded tail (more square-cut in sparrowhawk). Up-close they show thick legs and a white line above each orange-red eye. Females, the size of a Buzzard, have slate-grey upperparts and whitish underparts barred grey, whilst males are smaller, with blue-grey upperparts. Juvenile birds have striped rather than barred underparts.
Goshawks (from the Old English for “goose-hawk”) are more likely to hunt hares, rabbits, squirrels, waterfowl, game-birds, corvids and pigeons, and will crash through vegetation in pursuit and even give chase on foot.
The Red Tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.
Courting Red-tailed Hawks put on a display in which they soar in wide circles at a great height. The male dives steeply, then shoots up again at an angle nearly as steep. After several of these swoops he approaches the female from above, extends his legs, and touches her briefly. Sometimes, the pair grab onto one other, clasp talons, and plummet in spirals toward the ground before pulling away.
Red-tailed Hawks have been seen hunting as a pair, guarding opposite sides of the same tree to catch tree squirrels.
The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years, 8 months old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981.
Harris Hawk
The Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), formerly known as the bay-winged hawk or dusky hawk, and known in Latin America as peuco, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity.
Unlike most raptor species, the Harris's Hawk is an extremely social bird and though it can be seen by itself or with another hawk, it often hangs out in small family groups. As a family should, they hunt together, help keep watch for predators together (and signal an alarm call if one is seen), and even work together to help raise young. Some biologists think that individuals use their tails, specifically the bright white band in their tail, as a way of communicating with other Harris's Hawks. When hunting, or perching, they may move their tail from side to side or spread or close their tail feathers, sending silent messages to the rest of the group.
Nice to see you back filming. Superb photos. X