BirdNote; Northern Goshawk - Esteemed Bird of Prey

BirdNote®

Northern Goshawk, Esteemed Bird of Prey

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

[Northern forest ambient in winter]

All’s quiet on a December morning in a northern Ontario forest. A long, narrow clearing affords a clear view of spruce and birch trees. Then, nervous yelps from a red squirrel interrupt the silence. [Red Squirrel in background] ... and like a silver thunderbolt, a large bird of prey rushes by low to the ground, in rapid pursuit of a Ruffed Grouse. [Sound of wings whooshing by] The grouse flaps madly, just eluding its pursuer by winging wildly into a dense thicket.

[Sound of crashing into the underbrush]

The hunter flies up to perch at the edge of the clearing. It’s a Northern Goshawk, one of the most fearsome and admired of all birds of prey. [Northern Goshawk calls] Silver-gray with a bold white slash above its menacing red eye, the elegant goshawk is the largest hawk of the northern forest. Since at least medieval times, falconers have regarded the goshawk as a bird of great distinction. Attila the Hun even wore its image on his helmet.

[Northern Goshawk calls]

The boreal forest is a vital part of the bird’s range. Yet, during lean years, when Ruffed Grouse and snowshoe hare populations dip – as happens about every ten years – the scarcity of prey brings Northern Goshawks south. It’s then that we're more likely to see these beautiful and fearsome hunters.

[Northern Goshawk calls]

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

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Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Northern Goshawk [105702] recorded by G.A. Keller; Red Squirrel [56723] recorded by W.W.H. Gunn.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org December 2016/2018 Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# NOGO-01-2013-01-07 NOGO-01