goshawks of WMPT., Pa.

Williamsport, previously named Billtown, was my second area of introduction to breeding NG. After many years of residing in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, I took residence in WMPT., and from the git-go started observing NG in many areas; perched downtown State College, Bald Eagle State Park, West of WMPT. , South WMPT., Rose Valley, Farragut, a few sightings East of WMPT., and at Montour Preserve in Montour County. The following information will contain insights and facts of NG and Cooper's Hawks.


NG are breeding in the suburbs of Williamsport. Goshawks love mixed- hardwood forests. Forests in the East are encroaching upon the cities and suburbs. At the same time housing developments and small Mom and Pop farms are encroaching into the forests. You should contemplate: What is your definition of a forest?! If you could rise slightly above the countryside in a glider or a small aircraft, would your definition of a forest become modified?



Goshawks are nesting in the very well- maintained suburbs of WMPT., in Faxon. There are many Pin Oak in Faxon. OAK, especially Pin Oak draw-in many species of small game- and large game. The word OAK is synonymous with GOS; not all oak, but certainly Pin Oak. I only resided in WMPT. and Pennsylvania for 1 and one half years.



The legs of Northern goshawks; a female NG was hunting in and about a recreational field. This area contained an Olympic swimming pool, a children's park, a football field, a baseball field, volley ball courts, a jogging track, a small stream of rill that bordered one side, and a road that lead out of the suburbs. Possibly, I didn't have my binos while walking in the park. So, I hurried back to my apartment, about a half mile away, then up the steep hill to the actual apartment. I grabbed my scope and made it back to the park. The female NG was still there hunting, perched on guard rails and stop sign. Out come - if you scope a female Goshawk, and there are no obstructions and the the hawk is quite level with your position, then you will notice the large, powerful-looking legs. And the legs will be yellow or yellow-green. Northern goshawks were nesting on that steep, wooded hill side. That hill side is separate from the hill that I lived on. The hills are separated by the road and the flat land of the recreational park. By walking the park, very close to the road- and glassing into the hard wood trees, I saw branchers , also called limbers, i.e., very young NG creeping along the branches.
NG also like to "shoot the gap", usually gliding and flapping from one ridge line to another ridge line, i.e., from their nesting hillside to the other hill top or hillside, on which I lived. The reason why I elaborated on the park was to inform that NG do not sneak about, do not sneak away from humans. What this means is that NG prefer to observe you and your activities from above.
COOPER'S HAWKS many times will sneak away from you or your position , while traveling at low levels, sometimes below your eye level . Generally, a Cooper's Hawk will sneak away at the same height or position from which it was perched! Also, a Cooper's Hawk will follow the contours of any structure, if it wishes. For example, at poolside: Buildings of showers, laundry room, saunas; a Cooper's enters the pool area at 12 feet elevation. Then the hawk nearly crashes with the wall. But no, the hawk climbs the wall and reaches the eaves of the roof. Now the Cooper's follows the roof's pitch to the roof's peak. Now the hawk has options; many times the hawk will not rise above the line of the roof's peak, i.e., the hawk will dive or continue along at the same level. PLEASE heed: Goshawks do not act in this manner! Another example of a Cooper's Hawk . You are on one side of a wall, about 4 feet high. You notice a Cooper's Hawk on the other side, heading toward you and the wall. You wait- the Cooper's does not fly over the wall . You wait- the Cooper's does not land on the wall.
But now, the Cooper's Hawk is on your side of the wall sneaking (flying) past your position. How can this be!? Answer- on the other side of the wall is a thick scrub or tree; on your side of the wall is another bush, or the same bush as on the other side, but hanging over the wall and on your side. The Cooper's hawk crawled and hid in the bush and went over the wall still in the bush. So what happened was that the hawk never presented a silhouette as it made it over to your side. PLEASE heed: Goshawks do not act in this manner! We are not talking field marks, or color, or size!
Generally, the dorsal area of a Cooper's Hawk if brown, and will be darker than a NG dorsal area. Generally, you will be comparing a Cooper's dark brown dorsal area to a NG gray, pewter- gray, purple-gray, purple-black, silver gray. You may observe Cooper's Hawks with solid gray dorsal areas. Now it is time to understand the concept- is the bird "giving you something or is the bird offering you something" !? In this case the Cooper's is offering you something. In other words- you should not accept that offer. Well, how do you know the difference between being given something and something being offered? Only with years of field work can you understand the concept. Another way to look at it - if a friend gives you something, you take it. But, if a friend offers you something, you do not have to accept it. Your friend is giving you an out- when just offering you something.
When a raptor or any entity presents, let us say a shape or color, make sure the object is inspected for an adequate amount of time. Now, we shift to the Pacific North West. I have observed 2-4 just female NG with slight dihedral and some with very strong dihedral. Now, I do not know if this is a permanent condition with these particular female NG. Also, I have noticed some, just female NG with very slow and deep wing beats as if the the NG was exhausted, and sometimes these exhausted NG will point their heads upwards, tail downwards and slowly climb nearly vertical. It seems as if the hawk stopped flapping that it would slide downward, tail first. A mature female NG has long, white, fluffy, under tail coverts. At times the under tail coverts will ride upward and cover the sides of the base of the tail. Now, when a mature female starts to climb straight upward, the under tail coverts will wrap around the base of the tail-top, and will show a white patch- so now are you observing a Northern Harrier? No. The general shape of the wings and over-all structure, plus the gray dorsal area will express Goshawk. The main reason for this little story is to show that you should observe any particular point of interest for an adequate amount of time. So that temporary white patch on the upper tail was an offering.