grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (11/30/89)
(I'm sorry. It seems all my postings are being mysteriously gobbled up. If this is a duplicate, please let me know - Greg) In article <51161@oliveb.olivetti.com> mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) writes: >presumably from previous observers. (must be a Goshawk) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't remember if I posted this before, but it was a great adventure (!!!) so I'll post it again... It was early May 1988, the (in)famous NJ World Series of Birding was hitting it's 10th hour or so, and I was feeling lousy because my team had to drop out at the last minute. Not one to remain completely out of the action, I was spending the day birding my hometown with my friend Chris. Luckily, West Milford (the aforementioned hometown) NJ is one of the few remaining rural areas in North Jersey, and we were in the Pequannock Watershed, an area of mostly untouched "wilderness". We had staked this area out for the birdathon, and we knew it held Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, and Red-shouldered Hawk. As we entered the hemlock grove, we were treated to a Barred Owl, fairly common here, but missing from our list. A Pileated Woodpecker called, as did our staked out Red-shoulder. A short wait produced an Acadian Flycatcher, and finally the Winter Wren. Deciding what to do next, I mentioned that I knew of a small colony of Nashville Warblers nearby, and that we could get to them if we just climbed over this next ridge. Up the ridge we went. As we neared the top, an unfamiliar hawk's call suddenly began from the right. "Cak-cak-cak-cak-cak-cak," it cried as we looked about vainly. My first thought was Cooper's Hawk, a rare nester in these woods. I was totally unprepared for what Chris pointed to at the top of one of the hemlocks. Completely in the shade of the trees, except for it's striking white eyeline and it's magnificent ruby eye, was the largest, closest Goshawk that I had ever seen!! We quietly (some would say foolishly) crept down the side of the ridge into the Valley of the Shadow of the Goshawk. Only then did I realize that those stories I had heard about goshawks were true. In the vicinity of the nest (I later discovered we were almost underneath it), the bird showed no mercy. It came at us with murder in it's heart. Needless to say, we beat a hasty retreat, but that was the single birding experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. ------------------ One of my most memorable images of that day, was seeing a pair of Solitary Vireos nesting with 100 yards of the Goshawk nest. The complete serenity of the vireos was in stark contrast to the fury of the Gos. This was only the second or third Goshawk nest recorded in New Jersey that year, and I beleive that it was the only one that successfully fledged young. Later trips to the sight proved that we were within 100 yards of the nest, placed about 30 feet up in a deciduous tree. An interesting behavioral (sp?) note: On subsequent trips (all well spaced to avoid harassing the birds), I noted that the female was always very direct about getting you out of the area. She would scream and dive, but you always knew where she was. On my last trip there, when I heard young birds OUT of the nest, I was attacked for the first time by the male. This bird appeared half the size, and (unfortunately for me) was infinitely more maneuverable. He was also sneaky. Whereas the female was always raucous, and always visible, the male would quiet down just before an attack, and would often fly to another perch before the actual assault came. This was unnerving to say the least. That day, I came very close to losing my eyes when, as I peered around a trunk to see where he was, I found that he was in mid offensive 3 feet from my face. > >Mike - Greg -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Pasquariello (916) 920-9092 grp@unify.UUCP Unify Corporation ...!{csusac, pyramid}!unify!grp