Last Friday I visited my friends at the Pennsylvania Falconry and Hawk Trust annual field meet for the day. I was expecting to see some Red-tailed Hawks hunt but instead I was in for a big surprise!
The first Hawk we hunted with was an adult Northern Goshawk. I’ve only seen this species once and it was not an adult; I also never saw one hunt before. That all changed this time by!
Adult Northern Goshawk
This Goshawk hunted from the glove, a technique I’ve never seen since the Hawks and Kestrels I’ve hunted with flew freely and hunted from higher perches.
Northern Goshawk on the glove
After some failed attempts at rabbits, she came close to capturing a squirrel who was in her grips, but the squirrel was not quite ready to be hawk food!
Northern Goshawk with a Squirrel
The squirrel got away, but it helped me get a nice photo by making some snow fall on the Goshawk.
Northern Goshawk with snow
We saw another adult Goshawk hunt later in the day – this one was sixteen years old!!
Sixteen year old Northern Goshawk
Still, at that age, she was as beautiful as a younger Hawk!
Northern Goshawk
The next bird we hunted with was one I’ve seen in the past but are always a pleasure to watch – a Harris’s Hawk.
Harris’s Hawk up close
This bird hunted with a Dachshund – their relationship was pretty amazing! While the dog tries to find and flush rabbits, the Hawk watches from above. They almost got a cottontail on their own but the brush was too thick.
Harris’s Hawk in flight
Again, no kills, but it’s great seeing the relationship between a falconer, his dog and his bird.
Harris’s Hawk with falconer
I nearly fainted from seeing the next bird we hunted with – an Ornate Hawk Eagle.
Ornate Hawk Eagle
This bird was so perfect that it looked like a stuffed animal. Every color of this bird was so vivid.
Ornate Hawk Eagle posing
This bird also hunted from the glove. We only “somewhat” saw the bird fly once – a rabbit was right below her and she tried dropping on it, but the prey got away. It was still great to see this gorgeous bird!
Ornate Hawk Eagle on the glove
These were my first hunts with accipiters and an eagle – even though we did not catch anything, it was another perfect day with great friends!
Ornate Hawk Eagle looking amazing!