First time I've seen a Goshawk

[bobleponge]

Since my return home I've fitted in a trip to the UK as well, so only got the boy back home last night.
Went out for our evening constitutional as always and as well as a hare, a heron, 3 coypu and a deer, I also almost bumped into a bird of prey. I turned right, off the road into a field, and just before I got to the turn, a small bird of prey flew out, no more than about 10ft away, at head height.
There was a slight Mexican stand off, then off it flew. I had a really good look at it, then worked it out in my excellent Secret Santa bird book once I got home, it was a Goshawk.
This evening, as we turned into the field again, I started to walk along the hedge, by the ditch. I looked down the ditch for wildlife as always and could see wings flapping. The same bird flew about 50 yards towards me, at knee height all along the ditch. Boy didnt see it until it appeared next to us, but it flew between me and the hedge, about 2ft away from me, at about chest height. I honestly could have stuck my hands out and caught it. Stunning.

[Nicos]

Oh WOW!!!...lucky you!!!!

[janeyo]

No idea what one looks like, (I insisted we had a woodpecker in the garden the other day til my mum pointed out it was actually a jay, or a magpie, I forget now what she said lol)

But am sure it was exciting anyway! Didn't your dog go ape when he saw it?!

[bobleponge]

The boy doesnt see anything. He had his head down in the ditch and missed it until it literally was level with him. About 3 years ago walking down the same road a huge deer came running full pelt from one field, jumped across the fence, crossed the road and into the next field and away, no more than a dozen paces in front of me, and he never saw a thing. Useless!!

[janeyo]

Hope you don't rely on him as a guard dog then Bob!

[burnie]

Goshawks are increasing in numbers in most of europe,they just need some undisturbed woodland and some large enough prey.Rabbits are a favourite prey and being the size of a Buzzard are more than capable of flying off with a small one.
I've seen them in several locations in England and Scotland,always a pleasure to see one as they really are secrative.
Much favoured by falconers for centuries,they were called the cooks bird,because if you had one the cook was always busy,never flew one myself as they are a hard bird to work and are frequently lost.It is beleived that many of the British birds are decendants of lost falconers birds.

[Polly Fouracre]

The first time I saw a Goshawk it had murdered my chicken, Poor Charlotte. It was an escapee wearing all of it's armory and, replete, was sitting in an apple tree.
I 'phoned the R.S.P.C.A. who didn't want to know and then the Police who had a number for a local falconer.
Days later she was caught and returned to her "owner".
I was a bit dubious about her returning to captivity but then researching Goshawks on the net realised that if it were not for these birds being kept in captivity there would probably none left in the wild today.
Poor Charlotte paid the price though!!

[bluemoon]

When we were first married our house was at a point where moorland and woodland met a huge reservoir. There were goshawks and peregrines there and we'd see the peregrines even in the garden. A friend of my brother was a member of the RSPB and he was most distressed that they were going into people's gardens as he'd known about them for 5 years and had been trying to keep quiet about them. Thirty years later and they're reasonably commonplace, but back then I believe they were extremely endangered. I think Polly might be right, I'm sure Friend-of-brother was of the opinion that both populations probably originated from escaped/released birds