Goshawk school

My week usually begins with three children being delivered to our farm for piano lessons. Each gets about a fifteen-minute lesson. The other two do outdoor chores with Betsey as the payment for their lesson.

This particular week didn’t follow the pattern. Due to a prior commitment of mine with some mallard ducks, the lessons were rescheduled for Wednesday. The children were dropped off and the cycle of work/chores began. There was quite another lesson being taught that day. While we were all standing in the mud room after lesson one, there was a flash and Freja said, “Mr. Gesch, that was a hawk.” I didn’t pay much attention until the pigeon being pursued bounced off the window.

We rushed outside to see an immature goshawk following the pigeon like Snoopy after the Red Baron. Eventually, the pigeon smashed into some thick willow brush and the hawk circled above. Thinking it safe, the pigeon began the trip to the coop, but was again pursued by the hawk which made periodic dives, its thrusters on full power.

Then something unusual happened. A second goshawk joined the chase. It was an adult. The pigeon now was really scared and made straight for the coop, missed the opening to get in and bounced off the screen door, fell a foot or two and just stood there, no doubt quaking with fear. Two of the children ran up to the pigeon which, by this time in shock, let them just pick it up. The kids wanted to throw it up in the air to continue the chase, but I said no. They put it back into the safety of the coop.

We were all somewhat awed by that chase and the fact that we saw two goshawks. When I told this story to the expert, Frank Doyle, he said, “the coastal goshawk is listed as threatened but not our birds [interior B.C.]. However, our population is down some 90 percent from pre-industrial logging and clearing for agriculture. But if there is a large enough area of intact forest, as there is close to your properties, then it can still support a pair of birds and breeding. And through your story it sounds like it has both this year!!”

With only a little anthromorphizing, let me say that I imagine Ma Goshawk saying, “OK, son, you have some of the basics, but need to practice your techniques more. You are doing quite well at Following, but not so good at Stooping. If you ever want to achieve Master of Murder status you’ll just have to practice more, every day for at least one half hour.”