WINTER’S WILDLIFE Hunter killer the forest birds fear
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The deafening roar of two mighty F-35 Lightnings obliterated the peace of the late winter woodland morning as it awakened to the gentle sounds of birdsong.
But below the warplanes’ subsonic flight path, something far more awesome and menacing took to the sky.
A female northern goshawk was powering across the treetops at the Breckland location, inciting panic among the huge numbers of woodpigeons that were emerging from their slumbers.
With fiery eyes focused on one sleepy individual, the hawk went into attack mode by folding her wings and accelerating to a top speed of 35 yards per second – an astonishing 70mph.
Goshawks are nature’s ultimate hunterkillers, equipped with a lethal arsenal of weaponry. Razor-sharp talons, a hooked bill plus agile wings and tail to slalom through dense trees, ensure these birds of prey are perched at the top of the forest food chain.
Crows, jays, woodpeckers and pigeons may make for a high protein diet, but goshawks are also primed to use their armoury against any raptors threatening their nesting territories. Even interloping goshawks are not spared. Females are by far the deadlier of the species, weighing twice as much as males, and will readily kill rivals to steal their mates.
Throughout history, humans have been the goshawk’s only enemy and persecution saw them wiped out during Victorian times. In recent decades, escaped falconers’ birds have helped re-establish a wild breeding population of up to 1,300 pairs.
At least four members of this precious number exhibited their breathtaking aerobatics during my recent visit with friends to the wilds of Norfolk.
March is a great month to watch goshawks go through their high altitude courtship displays but, on this visit, food was on their minds.
Each time a hunting hawk cast its “flying cross” shadow over the forests, the unnerved woodpigeons scattered. The hunt we witnessed saw the pigeon miraculously escaping the clutches of the fast-flying female, losing only a few tail feathers rather than its life.
The goshawk would go hungry. But not for long…
When diving for prey, a goshawk can hit an astonishing 70mph