I'd be very interested to see any reliable, documented evidence of Northern
Goshawks with "red-orange vermiculating under wing &/or breast patterning."
Until such evidence is forthcoming...........well, let's just say that I
don't believe that Martians in flying saucers migrate through our
atmosphere, either.

Dennis Rockwell
Kennewick, WA
dennisrockwell at verizon.net
----- Original Message -----
From: <vogelfreund at comcast.net>
To: <Tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 9:00 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Re: dubious Goshawks


> Any Accipiter with red-orange vermiculating (as pointed out below) under
> wing &/or breast patterning is a Cooper's Hawk, as far as my sport of
> listing goes. I'll let you scientists worry about precise IDing of aberant
> Goshawks with red-orange vermiculations. See "Asdvanced Birding" by Kenn
> Kaufman, P.57.
>
> I once saw an adult Cooper's Hawk, on Fort Huachuca, AZ, deliberately fly
> down into and along a winding ditch/shallow arroyo and pop up under an oak
> tree with a bunch of Band-tailed Pigeons in it. The pigeons flew every
> which way, although it didn't look like the hawk nailed any of them.
>
> Phil Hotlen
> Bellingham, WA
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: Ebriefer at aol.com
>> Dear Tweeters: Any birder who uses only field marks to identify raptors
>> is
>> working under a handicap. What if the lighting conditions are of a low
>> intensity? What if the raptor is turned the "wrong way"? What if some
>> structure,
>> such as, leaves or branches blocks your view? How should unusual
>> plumages be
>> treated? What if you get only a 3-second-look, and then the raptor flys
>> off?
>> And
>> that raptor in the sky giving you that 10-minute-look -- remains
>> intellectually unresloved.
>>
>> In winter of 2001-2002, in Tucson, I went to the parking lot of Costco
>> to
>> look for raptors. This is on Grant, and my first trip to Costco. After
>> about 20
>> minutes, a mature female Goshawk appeared from across the large wash.
>> The
>> lighting conditions were excellent. The bird flew slowly overhead at
>> elevation
>> of 100-150 feet. The bird had a large area of white under tail coverts.
>> The
>> chest, belly, and under wing coverts were of red vermiculation.
>>
>> In Rockport, Texas, 2002-2003, in December, January, February, and
>> March, I
>> had many sightings of a mature, "long winged", female Goshawk. The
>> dorsal
>> area was dark (pewter grey). The chest, belly , and under wing coverts
>> were of
>> red-orange vermiculation. This bird was also witnessed (with me) on at
>> least
>> 2-daily-sightings, by a biologist (professor).
>>
>> In February of 2005, just outside the city limits of Anacortes; at
>> elevation of about 300 feet; a mature female Goshawk. The bird was
>> soaring,
>> gliding,
>> and flapping [as a Goshawk flaps].The lighting conditions were
>> excellent. The
>> bird was heading westward, toward Mount Eire. My impression was; this
>> bird
>> is new to the area, and might be heading into this area for the first
>> time --
>> possibly to take up residence. [I never saw that bird again.] This bird
>> had a
>> large area of white, under tail coverts, and a chest, belly, and under
>> wing
>> coverts of red vermiculation.
>>
>> In Anacortes and in Tucson, I have seen male and female Goshawks with
>> red
>> casts on their ventral (underside) areas. But these sightings were not
>> dramatic. In other words, the sightings were at long range (in flight),
>> and the
>> bird
>> gave me just a flash, as it tilted to turn. What would that bird's
>> underside
>> become at close range? The red areas would become more intense; more
>> saturated with redness.
>>
>> One last point, relating to what I call "Goshawks with expressed
>> recessive
>> genes". I had a brief meeting with 3 biologists from Tucson Game and
>> Fish.
>> Michael Ingraldi, Ph.D. informed me: at a Goshawk nest in Heber,
>> Arizona, he
>> had
>> tried to trap a mature female Goshawk. That bird could not be trapped.
>> That
>> bird had a red chest and belly. Nelson Briefer _Ebriefer at aol.com_
>> (mailto:Ebriefer at aol.com)
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>


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