Aside from hearing a rattlesnake and not knowing where the sound is
coming from, hearing a goshawks' claws rake across my hardhat as I
was running away from the nest tree is one of the most heart
thumping experiences I had working in New England.
I would imagine that you even have some planned protocol for working
around goshawk nests....ever been buzzed by one?
Russ
== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 13 2007 3:23 am
From: "Mike Leonard"
Russ,
You were lucky you were wearing a hardhat when the goshawk attacked.
Last June I was marking a lot in Petersham and I heard this loud
"kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk" and this big freakin' hawk started dive
bombing me and
just missing my head. So I started moving away and it kept following
me
and dive bombing me. I would hop behind a big tree but it would find
me.
I was amazed at its maneuverability! I picked up a big stick and
waved
it over my head but the damn bird kept attacking and screaming at
me. It
drove me off the lot but I decided to try again the next day
figuring
maybe the damn bird flew away. Well she attacked me again with a
greater
ferocity and as I was almost to my truck I turned around and cursed
the
bird which it didn't like so for good measure she dive bombed me
again
to let me know who the boss is! Yeah it was a bit terrifying because
that bird is big! That never happened to me before so I researched
and
learned that the goshawk is ferociously protective of its nest and
will
attack within 300 feet of it. It is also known to take down game as
big
as fox! Since discretion is the better part of valor, I decided to
wait
until her chicks fledged and went back in August to finish marking
the
lot. I heard the bird once and saw it fly a long loop around the lot
but
it didn't attack. I know a few loggers that were driven crazy by
these
birds too.
Mike
== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Tues, Nov 13 2007 8:37 am
From: DON BERTOLETTE
Mike-
You sound like a practicing forester aware of importance of wildlife
considerations in managing forests! What became of the stand, the
nesting site, after treatment?
-DonB
==============================================================================
TOPIC: Tree marking and goshawks
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/02a0d243ab93c75c?hl=en
==============================================================================
== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Nov 15 2007 4:45 am
From: "Mike Leonard"
Don,
Actually when I picked up a club to defend myself I was hoping to
bat
the damn bird down!
OK seriously I'm almost positive that the nest is on an abutting
woodlot
so I didn't mark the tree it's in. The nests are real hard to see
because they are hidden in crotches. The lot hasn't been cut yet
because
I typically get one year contracts with the operator. So I'm hoping
it
gets cut before the bird comes back next spring. If not, then the
operator and bird will have to "co-exist" until the job is
done.