Im Goshawk on Mall
SSUTER (ssuter@aaas.org)
Mon, 28 Dec 1998 13:36:08 -0500
Went to look for the immature N Goshawk around lunch today. As we
walked East across the Mall from the Natural History Museum c 1140 EST
the pigeons around Air & Space were seemingly ill at ease. After a
brief glimpse of what seemed to be an immature Cooper's Hawk , heading
East among the trees on the S side of the Mall I was surprised to find
the immature Goshawk coming our way. It passed almost overhead (to
the N), and proceeded directly to perch in a tree to the NW of the
kiosk on the Mall in front of the Natural History Museum. Within a 3
or 4 minutes, it moved on a few more trees to the West, and then
bolted out of the trees NW towards a scattered flock of pigeons on the
Mall. Although it chased one briefly, it did not seem to try too hard
and almost immediately continued on into the trees on the N side of
the Mall and West of the Freef Gallery.
Unless the first bird I glimpsed was mis-identified, it seems likely
that neither the im. female Cooper's Hawk Dave Czaplak mentioned in
his Sunday afternoon message nor the Goshawk are keeping to restricted
areas of the Mall. And (of course) care should be taken to id any
raptor working the abundant pigeons.
Cheers and good birding,
Sherman Suter
Alexandria VA
ssuter@aaas.org