Goshawk, Pyrenees, France, 11.04 (1 Viewer)

rosbifs

PutAin STOP

• Apr 11, 2020

• #1

Goshawk high from garden to day but am I right?

It was a long way away so the pictures not great. The neck and head we markedly protruding, the secondaries seem bulging (I tend to think a gos wing can be broken down into three, hand, bulge, wing - which this seems to fit)...

I'm lacking confidence because the hips seem nipped in in a couple of the shots but this could be angle, distance and distortion.

In the third picture is it flaring its tail? Is it only male that does this? Does it signify anything - potential nest nearby?

 

Attachments

• 
  gos 1.JPG

  86.8 KB · Views: 132
• 
  gos 2.JPG

  71.7 KB · Views: 81
• 
  gos 3.JPG

  38.6 KB · Views: 84
• 
  gos 4.JPG

  29.2 KB · Views: 118

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2020

• #2

Gos for me - seen a lot of sprawks lately and this plainly isn't one!

John

 

S

Simon Wates

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2020

• #3

Classic Goshawk for me - even on just the first photo.

 

rosbifs

PutAin STOP

• Apr 11, 2020

• #4

I don't know why I lacked confidence - just needed reassurance - I called it ran for the camera, phoned my friend but it was gone!

Is it flaring its tail in the third picture?

 

S

Simon Wates

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2020

• #5

Given the time of year I would almost assume they are breeding somewhere close to where you saw this bird. From the photos it does suggest some kind of territorial defence, was it doing anything like an undulating flight?. Apart from this kind of behaviour its a tough one to prove breeding 100%.

 

rosbifs

PutAin STOP

• Apr 11, 2020

• #6

Thanks Simon

It was circling and not undulating. That said it is a perfect spot for it to nest. There is a plateau, some silver birch wood and some very old evergreen... Its also the 'wild-side'

 

KenM

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2020

• #7

For me Rosbifs the images are great!...because they show the body bulk of gentilis, these distant images are probably par for course for most people that are fortunate enough to see Gos, that said I wouldn’t like to sex it. :t:

Cheers

 

Biancone

to err is human

• Apr 11, 2020

• #8

Looks like Gos to me also Rosbifs. You query tail in 3rd photo: I tend to think that's just a flight issue here, slowing or changing direction. Main territorial display involves massive white UTCs flared out like jet trails. A provisioning male seems to have flared white UTCs much of the time in flight, so if you spot such a bird - you're in business!
Brian

 

Jon Turner

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2020

• #9

Looks exactly like the bird I saw from my garden the day before yesterday. All too brief, but big and bulky taking no nonsense from the local Crows. A few minutes before I had been watching a local Buzzard in a real scrap with a local Crow, so when this one appeared I thought "They're at it again!" But when I looked up this new bird of prey was too small for a Buzzard and very barred. I ran for the optics, but it was gone by the time I got back.....

 

Birdbrain22

Well-known member

• Apr 11, 2020

• #10

FWIW.... "classic" Goshawk for me as well.