While out walking at Carroll Park today (4/2) I saw a large buteo-sized raptor flying toward me. As the bird drew closer I could see it making its way with wing flaps followed by short glides.  This hawk was heavy-bodied and its tail seemed like an extension of the body.  It appeared much bulkier than the resident Cooper’s Hawks in the area. Because of the poor light (very cloudy) I could not see the plumage in detail but it appeared dark with streaking underneath and tail bands.  I am reasonably sure that I observed an immature Northern Goshawk. The time was around 12:30 PM; the bird was flying from NE to SW and continued its flight over the trees and towards I-95.  The sighting was along the Gwynns Falls Trail about a half mile west of Washington Boulevard in Baltimore City.

Jim Wilkinson
Columbia, MD