Sunday, June 1, 2008

set type remarkability in Goshawks

These are the areas and dates of my sightings of what I call "Goshawks with expressed recessive genes": The chest, belly, and under wing coverts are of red vermiculation. All sightings were of the bird in flight.

Tucson - winter 2000-01; Costco parking lot (on Grant). The lighting conditions were excellent. The bird - mature female - was over head at about 100 feet. The bird had red vermiculation on chest, belly, and under wing coverts.

Rockport, Texas - winter 2002-03; I had many sightings of the same mature, "long winged", dark-grey dorsal area, female Goshawk. I observed this bird over a 4 month period. This bird had red-orange vermiculation on chest, belly, and under wing coverts.

Anacortes, Washington - February 2005; Pioneer Trails RV Park; 1 mature female Goshawk (over head) at about 300 feet elevation; excellent lighting conditions. I have spent over 18 months in that area, and have yet to see that bird again.

Tucson - 4 December, 2005; Voyager RV Resort, Rt10 and S. Kolb Rd.
1 mature female Goshawk.

Anacortes, Washington - 18 April, 2007; Pioneer Trails RV Park;
1 mature male Goshawk; bright sun reflected off the red ventral areas.

Goodyear, Arizona - 14 October, 2007; Destiny RV Park; 1 mature male Goshawk was ripping up the sky. I know of only 2 species that can rip up the sky - a Merlin and a male Goshawk.

Tucson - 5 February, 2008; Wal-mart parking lot - Kolb Rd. and Speedway: 1 mature Goshawk; this bird had red vermiculation on chest and belly. The under wing did not appear to have any red.

Tucson - 2008 - Rt10 and S. Kolb Rd.; 6 and 8 February; 8 and 30 March; mature female Goshawk.

Note: In November 2006, I had a brief meeting with 3 biologists from Department of Arizona Game and Fish. Michael Ingraldi, Ph.D. (research biologist) told me - while at a Goshawk nest in Heber, Arizona, he had tried to trap a mature female Goshawk. The bird could not be trapped. The bird had a red chest and belly!

On 2 occasions in Rockport, Texas, Wilson J. Tarkington was with me as we witnessed the remarkable mature Goshawk of Rockport. Mr. Tarkington can identify Peregrine Falcons in flight , naked-eye. But, he had had no experiences with Northern Goshawks. Capt. W. Jay Tarkington, M.S. - Aquatic Education Program Director; Texas AM University - Corpus Christi.

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