Northern Goshawk

We were treated early this year to an up close and personal view of a Northern Goshawk. It is one of the three accipiters of North America, and usually spends most of its time to the far north, even into the great Boreal Forest. Occasionally Goshawks travel south in the winter. These are usually immature birds in an irruptive migration, quite similar to the Snowy Owls that leave the arctic and spend the winter at our beaches along the Atlantic shore. Accipiters are woodland hawks with relatively long tails and short, rounded wings, giving them great agility in their rapid hunting flights through heavily wooded areas. The Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk and Northern Goshawk prey mainly on songbirds, although the Goshawk will go after mammals as large as hares. The Goshawk, the largest of the three accipiters, is between 21 and 26 inches tall, with a wingspan of 40 to 46 inches. Make no mistake, this is a very large impressive bird. Our visitor this February and March was still wearing immature plumage, although its eyes had turned to the adult red color. We were lucky to have such a magnificent creature living so close to us if only for a short time.