Thursday, November 10, 2011

Merlin in flight

10 November 3 P.M. Anacortes
1 Pete Dunne " Harley- Davidson motorcycle" Merlin ripping through Aancortes. Merlin (were-are) nesting very near the downtown. As are goshawks living and hunting within cities and suburbs, so are Merlins.

NG - Downtown Anacortes

9 November 12:30 P.M. Anacortes
1 male NG stirring up pigeons, starlings, and crows. The hawk was at about 150 feet elevation and came ripping through downtown Anacortes at about 75 feet elevation.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

RED NG

18 October 11 A.M. Saint Mary Church Anacortes
1 mature female NG circling over and over again at 300 feet elevation near downtown Anacortes. The hawk went back toward MT. ERIE circling at 1000 feet elevation. Observation time 10 minutes. The underwing was not enhanced by the bright sun. I will bet that the underwing coverts were RED. Is this the same NG that I have , to my knowledge, observed only once, in February 2002? That NG had RED underwing coverts.

Monday, October 17, 2011

NG- Joseph Whidby State Park

17 October 11 A.M. North Whidbey Island
1 NG circling over and over again at 500 feet elevation. Also, 1 male - 1 female Harlequin Duck.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

2 goshawks- not doubles

13 October 3:30 P.M. Saint Mary Church- Anacortes
Both NG seemed to be male. Certainly the closer one was male. As I was walking up the steep road to my house , a NG was below and behind my position. I observed this hawk for 4 minutes as it went to 300 feet elevation then overhead, then to 600 feet elevation as it drifted away well past the church. About 2 minutes later, as I reached my house a male NG was ripping through a near-by tree, then went to 300 feet elevation circling about and drifted over and passed the church. This hawk was also observed for 4 minutes.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

second sighting GOS

12 October 5 P.M. Saint Mary Church -Anacortes
1 NG circling low over the church, with a RT. Hawk circling slightly higher. Is this the same NG I observed at 12 P.M. , about one and one-half miles away? It could have been as I could not sex or age the hawks , and could not determine the tail length, terminal band, or tail-tip structure. Even if goshawks are observed 5 miles apart, that does not make a disparate area. When goshawks are observed 10 miles apart- that is a good indication that you are observing different Goshawks, as we are talking of 2 disparate areas.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Anacortes Hospital Goshawk

1 NG circling over and over again at 150 feet elevation at Anacortes Hospital. Observation time 90 seconds. I departed the area with the hawk yet circling.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Goshawks far away

7 October 4:15 P.M. Grand View Cemetery - Anacortes
Goshawk Doubles! Goshawks circling over and over again at about 600 feet elevation. The hawks could not be observed naked -eye. That is why I use binos. And that is why most good hawk watchers use binos. The dark overcast had just been replaced by bright sun and lots of blue sky! This is another example of strategies and tactics, in order to observe raptors in flight, by using abrupt weather changes!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Another goshawk

30 September 11 A.M. Saint Mary Church Anacortes
1 NG circling over and over again. Elevation of hawk 500 feet. The hawk was about one and one-half miles south of The Church.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Sharpie- probably

25 September 11 A.M. Anacortes- Haddon Road
1 small accipiter- not a Cooper's, being pushed to the ground, from 150 feet elevation. Observation time 20 seconds. If the hawk would have flapped, then probably I would have been sure it was a Sharpie. The winds were steady at 20-25 miles per hour.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Drive-by NG

20 September 1:30 P.M. MT. Erie School- Anacortes
1 Common Northern Goshawk- circling and flapping as a goshawk can flap. Elevation of hawk 150 feet. Observation time - 20 seconds. The hawk was observed, naked -eye, as we were driving and when we came to a stop at stop sign. We departed with the hawk yet circling.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Hospital Goshawk

17 September 8:30 A.M. Anacortes Hospital
1 female NG circling over and over again, at about 150 feet elevation or slightly more. The hawk was not juvenile, it was mature or or sub-adult. The sighting was naked-eye. The lighting was overcast, with clouds. Observation time- 2 minutes.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

September 11 NG

11 september 3:45 P.M.- near MT. ERIE SCHOOL- Anacortes
1 male NG circling about at 150 -200 feet elevation. The hawk had a square -tip tail. The sighting was naked eye, as the hawk drifted far away, and continued circling. Observation time =5 minutes, as I departed the area with the hawk yet circling.

Sharpie over 2 military jets

9 September 1 P.M. Ault Road and RT 20- North Whidby Island
1 Sharpie rapidly pumping over the prowler jet display on the roadway. This is only the third Sharpie I have observed in flight during my 13 years of living in the western United States. And that involves 13 years of daily field work (hawking).

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Goshawk Doubles

5 September  3 P.M.  LDS Church- Anacortes
Goshawk Doubles; well, not really. But nearly. Both Goshawks were not seen together, at one time. One NG was circling in tight circles and rapidly flapping. Then 2 minutes later the hawk had drifted out of sight at 150 feet elevation. Within 2 seconds another NG was in the sky, in another area of sky.This hawk was circling rapidly and flapping rapidly at 150 feet elevation. One NG was sub-adult or mature, the other NG was mature.  The for sure one had a rounded tail-tip with a thick, white terminal band.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Saint Mary Goshawk

3 September 3:45 P.M.- The S.M. Church- Anacortes
1 NG circling at 200 feet elevation. The sighting was naked eye. Anyone who thinks that goshawks are just a rare winter visitor to Puget Sound has snakes in their head!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Saint Mary Goshawk

28 August 10:30 A.M. Anacortes
1 NG circling and soaring and bothered by 2 swallows at about 200 feet elevation. The sighting was naked eye and was about 5 minutes duration, as the hawk drifted far away. This hawk was not in migration.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

goshawks are back

20 August 12 P.M. Cap Sante Marina- Downtown Anacortes
1 NG circling over and over again at 150 feet elevation. Observation time 5 Minutes. Then circling at 400 feet elevation, observation time 5 minutes. So the NG are back, no, not really as they have not gone anywhere. Since I am now living near down town Anacortes, and I have an overview of the entire down town, I should be observing NG at 2 daily sightings per 7 days, at least.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Goshawks Tucson

3 August 2011
I just called Tim Snow- Biologist Tucson Game and Fish, concerning my 7 photos of 3 different goshawks in Tucson 2010-11. Tim stated that he certainly thought that the photos show 2 goshawks. The photos from Craycroft, and the photos from S. Kolb Road. I have still decided not to post these photos.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

another gos Anacortes

8 June 4 P.M.- Mt. Erie School -Anacortes
1 NG circling over and over again. If it was a male , it was long winged, or medium winged. The sighting was naked -eye. Since I am now living in Anacortes and have great visibs, I am expecting, when the nesting season is over, to garner an average of at least 1 NG sighting per every 3 days. And will be expecting doubles, and triples of Goshawk!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Now a full- time resident

6 June 6:45 A.M. Saint Mary's Church
1 male Goshawk being attacked and chased at 200 feet elevation. The hawk was mature. The attacker was a crow.

Then at 4:30 P.M. - 1 male NG, same location. A better look would have confirmed that the hawk had no white terminal band.
This was my second day of living in the area , as now I am a full-time resident of the city limits of Anacortes, WA. I realize this was a somewhat lucky sighting. Northern goshawks are nesting
near-by, and I did not expect to make many observations of this species, and then only the male. Very few sightings can be expected during June, July, and the first half of August. So, my days of hawking at Pioneer Trails RV Park (PTRVP) are over. My new location takes in all of the down town area of Anacortes, and the snow- capped mountains of B.C.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Gos male

16 May 2:30 P.M. PTRVP
1 Gos circling at about 5,000 feet elevation. The hawk had a square-tip tail. Circling well below was a very dark Red-tailed Hawk. Then another Red-tailed Hawk was circling below the goshawk. The Gos was in line, above the RED-tail but I think close enough to size the gos, as a male. Observation time 4 minutes.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Deception Pass Gos

10 May 2:30 P.M. Goose Rock - Deception Pass State Park

1 male NG, circling, and flapping. During 1 hour of hawk watching- 2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Bald Eagle, and 5 T.V.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Drive- by Goshawk

8 May 9 A.M. Fidalgo RV Resort- Anacortes

1 female NG soaring and flapping at 150 feet elevation. This was a drive-by, drive-under sighting.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

about this particular blog

I am now a full- time resident of Anacortes, Washington. It looks as if my travelling days are over. This blog will be year-round, long lasting reporting of mainly the Goshawks of Anacortes and North Whidbey Island. The blog will be very simply executed with very few details of the actual hawk being reported upon.

Any quips, anecdotes, strategies will be placed in my field notes, and then reported on my www.goshawksoftucson2010-11.blogspot.com site. In this Goshawks of Puget Sound, I will not make any attempt toward belittling anyone, or in any way try and drive-my-point home.

About my goshawk blogs

My blogs are all about raptors in flight, but not in migration. We are talking goshawks on their nesting sight areas, such as in Anacortes, and North Whidbey Island. And at their southern , or relatively southern wintering quarters, in areas such as San Diego, Tucson, Yuma, and Apache Junction, AZ. And also East Texas , including Coastal Bend Texas.

just goshawks continued

23 April 12:15 P.M. Pioneer Trails RV Park - Anacortes
1 male NG.

30 April 3:15 P.M. Pioneer Trails RV Park- Anacortes
1 mature female.

1 May 12 P.M. Skagit Regional Airport - East of Anacortes, West of Burlington

2 female NG, bumping into each other, diving upon one another, and chasing across the sky at elevation of 150 feet and 200 feet. Then they split, and one female was circling over and over again near my position. Observation time 5 minutes. As I have voiced- try the airport, you will like it! It might have the potential for Chipping Sparrows, E. Skylarks, and bluebirds.

3 May College Way and Burlington Blvd.- Burlington
1 female Sharpie being attacked and chased by a crow, at 150 feet elevation.

4 May near Campbell Lake- Anacortes

1 female goshawk at about 5,000 feet elevation. At times the hawk could not be observed naked-eye, but could be observed and identified, at possibly 8,000 feet from my position., with binos. The hawk could also be sexed, from the size, structure, and proportions of the wings. Observation time 6 minutes.

Just Goshawks

6 April 2011- We arrived back in Anacortes, WA.

17 April 1:45 P.M.- 1 male NG, soaring and circling, near Campbell Lake, at 500 feet elevation.

23 April 12:15 P.M. - PTRVP (Pioneer Trails RV Park)