Whatbird.com

Thanks Sandylee. Yes, the goshawk has a name. I named her Hannah because the nest I took her from was in Hanover, NM, which is also the town I live in.

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Southwestern New Mexico

A precious and perfect name for a most beautiful girl!  So glad she doesn't just have a "number"!  I am sure we will all be following this thread intensely.  (Probably the best I've ever seen.)  Thanks again.

All I can say say is, wow.  Such an amazing thread, and what a beautiful bird.  Keep the updates coming!

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Life List: 124 Species
Recent Sightings: Gray Catbird, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Florida Scrub Jay

Year List- 112 species

You have been so wonderful answering everyones questions, (including mine!) so I have a few more! LOL

In a recent post, someone posted a picture of an eagle owl. I read the article that another member posted about the owl, and it said they were used frequently in falconry (which of course made me think of you). Now, I know this species is not native to US, so does that mean you could not use one here in falconry? If you know anything about this bird being used this way, I would appreciate the knowledge. It seemed to me that the birds size (2 1/2 feet) and wing span (6 feet) would make it harder to work with for falconry. Thanks for all your sharing! 

Eagle owls can and are used here in the US for falconry. You have to be in the upper rent district to afford one of these birds, so, not a lot of people fly them. I think the last one I saw for sale on the internet was a male for $10,000 which is way out of my price range. These birds are imported by breeders and then the offspring is then sold to falconers who have that kind of money. While I am writing this, I might as well update the goshawk thread. I have been flying her every day and she is doing well. She is still playing with the game and not interested in killing it. I am still hand feeding her and will continue to do so until she learns that she must dispatch the game and eat it. I was out this morning with her and we also came across this fresh born antelope. Yesterday we rescued a tortoise from the highway and took it back out into the field. Here are some pictures.

 

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Southwestern New Mexico

Hannah is chasing other birds all over the sky everyday now. Here is a shot of her taken yesterday.

Nikon D200, Nikon 70-300mm lens 1/60  f5.3 ISO 200, Flash activated, lens at 220mm  

 

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Southwestern New Mexico

OMG!  What an incredible profile of beautiful Hannah!  Please keep us updated.  LOVE it!  Thanks so much Raptr.....

Absolutely beautiful bird, raptrlvr!!!

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We did not inherit Mother Earth from our ancestors...... we have borrowed Her from our descendants.
Chief Seattle (paraphrased)

Update on the goshawk. Hannah is doing well. She is still just chasing things and not really catching or killing anything. Here are a couple of shots I took of her today. The pigeon was not hurt, but, did lose a few feathers.

 

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Southwestern New Mexico

Couple more. All shots taken with Nikon D200, Nikon 70-300mm VR lens on a overcast day.

 

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Southwestern New Mexico

A truly outstanding thread! I have a slight obsession with birds of prey!

Beautiful shots!  Will she eventually get different plumage as she gets older?  Looks like she is still in her juvenile plumage.

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures. Yes, she will get different plumage starting next year. She will start turning grey and her eyes will turn red. An adult goshawk is a very striking bird in appearance. She is about 120 days old in these pictures.

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Southwestern New Mexico

Yes, they are gorgeous birds.  Can't wait to see her when she's all grown up.  

One more question - when you first got her out of the nest, what and how did you feed her?  I know that most baby birds (except ones that are able to get around right away, like ducks) are helpless and have to be hand-fed.

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Life List: 139
Latest: Cedar Waxwing!!!!!!!

She was taken out of the nest at 18 days old. At that age they can eat food that is ripped up and put in front of them and they can self regulate their body heat. My permit from New Mexico Game and Fish said I had to take one out of a nest that had 2 or more chicks in it. this nest had 3 in it. 

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Southwestern New Mexico