Peregrines and Goshawks

A few interesting facts on spotting these two magnificent birds.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8438429/RSPB-QandA-where-to-see-peregrines-and-goshawks.html

littlewid-x-

Thanks Littlewid. I've never seen either, but will keep an eye out.

Lai Pai

Thanks for the info LW. I have seen Peregrines on the Great Orme, near us. Thats the rock that looks like a Crocodile in one of the pics I posted. Never seen a Goshawk though
WS

Excellent info. I know were they reintroduced Peregrine in Northern Ireland not to far from where I used to live before coming to England.

Thanks for sharing LW.

SM

I remember the picture of that rock WS. Hopefully one day you will see a Goshawk.

Thought you would like that post SM

littlewid-x-

Hi all back from our trip to the lakes,just popped in and spotted this thread.
Goshawks are probably the hardest big bird to find in Britain,bit like the SAS,you could have one living nearby,but you'd never know!!

Spring time sees them doing their display flights and this is the best time to find them.Once you've found the area,then it's a lot of detective work to find plucking posts to get pictures(you will need a hide too).Remember,you can't go near their nests it's illegal(same with all other birds of prey).
I have found the forest,never ever put it on a public forum if you find any,I am now looking for their hunting ground during the winter.I then hope to get some pictures.If you are up for the hard work,p.m. me and I might be able to put you in the right area.
Peregrines are a totally different ball game,much more public and a lot easier to find,they can be seen in every county in the UK now.They do move in the winter,usually to where all the food is,estuaries,lakes and gravel pits attract them.

I must admit I have never seen either bird but it would be a treat to see either one of them.
I hope you get to find the hunting ground TB. Do they always use the same hunting ground in winter?

littlewid-x-

Birds of prey are a bit like the Lions in Africa,they know where the local"water holes" are.Sparrow Hawks use our bird feeders in the garden,Peregrines are bigger and wilder so large flocks of waders attract a lot of attention this time of year,they still love their pigeons too,much to the disdain of fanciers everywhere.
Goshawks are a different beast altogether,known as the "cooks bird" in olden times,as a falconer who had one kept the cook busy.They are superb hunters and will hunt fur or feather,sadly one of the birds I am watching likes the odd squirrel,which is a shame as they are all Red ones round here.Pigeons are a favourite quarry this time of year as we get a lot migrate here from the continent.So find a pigeon roost and see what arrives,often just before dark this time of year.Walking in woodland might find you stumble upon a big pile of feathers,often from a Sparrow Hawks dinner,but one day sitting down wind against a tree , you might see the true ghost of the woodland(as you might have guessed,I'm a bit obsessed with Goshawks)

I am wondering then TB if Peregrines would be found around the wetland areas as you say they like estuaries. I know our wetlands has lots of waders and also Pigeons who have made their home there as well. I was just wondering if it was a place I might come across one. Obviously they are closed in the evening but the car park and surrounding area is open.
It is a real shame the Goshawks are eating the Red Squirrel, they need preserving but I suppose the Goshawk doesn't know that. The facts you write about are so interesting and they make the Goshawk even more mysterious I think.
The only up close Sparrow Hawk I have seen and had the pleasure of handling is the one that flies over the hospital to keep the seagulls away. He is such a handsome bird and meeting him was such a thrill.
I think my brother in law and I need to do a lot more bird watching to see if we can spot the elusive Goshawk.

The Goshawk is superb to watch flying through woodland, the way they manouver through obsticals is amazing, thye showed one on one of the Springwatch programes. When I finish at the Pub, I'm going to visit our local RSPB centre to see if there are any in the area where we live. Would just love to get a photo of one
WS

British Goshawks are very few and quite far between,mostly thought to be the prodginy(where is that spell checker when you need it)of lost falconers birds,as they were completely extinct in Britain.
Their needs are quite specific and they are susceptible(must stop trying to use posh words) to disturbance more than most.
Large forested areas with no motorised vehicles making a noise are favourite.Big coniferous forestry commision land seems to have a few,but they need big areas to hunt in,so don't expect lots of them.
To see one is one of those punch the air moments(or rubbing your thighs up and down if you're in the Chris Packham mould of birder),they are rarely seen,even where they live.We have a hide in a forest that we use with a local club,rough built a long way from any roads.Twelve years later the foresters cut down a swathe close by,about the size of four football grounds.First spring,there are the Goshawks,no one even suspected that they lived there,all those birders(some serious twitchers amongst them too)we didn't have a clue of their existence.In six years I've seen them four times!! I intend to live in the wood for a few days next spring(literally under a tarp),just to try and see them again,a photograph of a wild Goshawk(a good one)will earn you serious money if you choose to sell one.