Sky-master puts on a good show
In bygone times, they were flown by the lower orders of society
Spring has countless natural spectacles to fill the heart with joy and wonder, but is there any sight more awesome than goshawks on the wing?
On a clear day, with the faintest hint of a breeze, these astounding hunters take to the skies to perform courtship flights that are the envy of all birds of prey.
Goshawk wingspans do not exceed those of a golden eagle, nor do their dives achieve the 200mph-plus speeds of a peregrine. That said, if marked on pure technical ability and artistic interpretation, then these sky-masters are undoubtedly the most impressive birds to cast shadows over the British countryside.
Goshawks have been described as sparrowhawks on steroids. Beefier and more fearsome than their lithe counterparts, they combine stealth and agility with an armoury of razor-sharp talons and a flesh-tearing beak to hunt down a wide variety of prey.
Hares, rabbits, squirrels, wildfowl, corvids and gamebirds provide the bulk of their diet. Indeed, the word goshawk derives from “goose-hawk” and hints at the way these birds were used to hunt for the pot rather than for pleasure.
In bygone times, they were flown by the lower orders of society while gyr, peregrine and saker falcons were the preserve of kings and nobles.
It felt like I was being feted with a royal command performance the other week when I joined a throng of birdwatchers to witness goshawks on display over woods deep in the Norfolk Brecklands.
For a glorious hour we were treated to the sight of these powerful birds zooming over treetops and then ascending high to the heavens as a breeding pair celebrated their bonding with stunts that would be the envy of any aerobatic display team.
Occasionally, in an act of sheer flamboyance, the goshawks would puff out their snow-white undertail coverts as if they were carrying giant pom-poms in their talons. For the similar-sized but dowdier buzzards sharing the skies, they could only look like cheerleaders for the real stars of a magnificent show.
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