This story goes back to two Wednesdays ago (12/9). With finals week at school, I haven't had time to write it until now. I had been working inside all morning at Cuyahoga Valley, staring at a computer screen. It was time for some fresh air. Sonia (the best boss ever) had just spotted a couple coyotes running around in the field next to our office building. We were watching them scare away all of the deer. Andrew (my other awesome co-worker) let me borrow his binoculars, and I was going to take a stroll down to Haskell Run; the creek that runs through the valley behind our building.
I am currently helping out with a beaver (Castor canadensis) survey throughout CVNP. Apparently, there are around 90 sites mapped out with beaver activity in the park! Crazy to think that beavers were extirpated from the state for a good century or more until their comeback in the mid 1900's. European colonization brought on heavy trapping with no respect for ecosystems or healthy population sizes etc. Beaver pelts were a very valuable item for a while in time. This lead to their demise in the Midwest.
My goal that Wednesday was to survey a portion of Haskell Run, where there had been old beaver signs. So I left for the valley through the field where Sonia, Andrew, and I had just seen the coyotes. Beyond the field and entering the woods, there are some very beautiful and impressive Shagbark Hickories (Carya ovata). These trees invited me into the forest, and I headed down into the valley. The creek is not far from this entrance, and I was soon coming upon an opening in the forest; a wet meadow that where the creek runs. Entering this meadow has a magical power...of which you will soon understand when I finish my story. Here is a visual (taken the next day):
When I came out into the field, I scanned the area. I saw something that looked like a dead animal with something standing on it not far away, but my eyes were still blurry from staring at the computer all morning. When I pulled my binoculars up, I was excited to see a raptor standing on top of a deer carcass! The sequence that ran thrhough my head next went something like this..."Whoa! what the hell is that?? Definitley a juvenile, it has spots all over it...it's huge! But it's not a Red-tail, so what the heck is it?? Juvenile Red-tails have patterned streaks on their chest...this is thing looks as big as an eagle! I KNOW it's not an eagle...what raptors have I never seen before? Hmmm...it has a big fat body and head, with feathers going down its legs and big yellow feet. The spots on its chest are evenly patterned and go from the head all the way down...(bird changed position) oh wow, the back is really pretty, speckled all over...shades of golden brown. (bird shows tail and flies up to a tree) HOLY SH##!!! It's an accipiter, which means...GOSHAWK?!!! Dang!!! I don't have my camera!!! Maybe if I leave to get my camera and come back he will still be here near the carcass!! I need proof!"
Before I left the scene, I took a very careful and detailed look at the bird because I knew that I may never see it again, and I wanted to be sure. The size alone was a good enough distinction, but when I saw the tail feathers that were striped brown and gold (among other things), I was sold. I left the scene and then ran back to the office. Busting through the door panting, I told Sonia and Andrew what I think that I just saw. I asked Andrew for his bird guide so that I could look at images of juvenile Goshawk versus juvenile Cooper's Hawk. Before I checked the field guide, I still doubted myself a little because I know how rare Goshawks are, and there was also a Cooper's Hawk pair that fledged at least three young this year in the same area. The images in the book though confirmed my bird 100%, every little thing that I noticed was a characteristic of a juvenile Goshawk. Now I was sure, but I wanted to get back for photo evidence. I asked Andrew to come with me for backup, as he knows his birds also. When we came back down into the meadow, my fears had come true. The magical bird had left the scene, and was nowhere to be found. The image of what it looked like will be burned into my brain for a while though...with the aide of this photo that I found...the bird in this photo look identical to the one that I saw:
Now to give a little background to help understand the excitement involved with this find. Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) are the largest of the three North American Accipiter species. Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks are common sights in Ohio. Northern Goshawks though, as their name suggests, breed in more Northern regions, especially boreal forests where grouse populations are abundant. The only Goshawks that we get to see in Ohio are typically migrating juveniles who are searching for territory to hunt and survive the winter. The adults typically maintain adequate habitat up north for year-round survival, and they also have the hunting skills necessary to do so. Accipiters in general are forest-dwelling hawks that are adapted for quick powerful flight and tricky manuevers through branches etc. They have broad wings and long tails to accomplish this. They mostly hunt birds, but are opportunistic as well. Goshawks primarily hunt grouse and snowshoe hare in northern habitats. In Ohio though, smaller birds usually suffice. The individual that I found was feeding on a fresh deer carcass, which is an interesting note. To read more about Northern Goshawks, and to view their mapped range, go here:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Goshawk/id
Without a Goshawk in sight, Andrew and I walked up to inspect the deer carcass where the bird was feeding. It was a 14-point buck! This old buck just added to the magic of it all. It was obvious that the coyotes had been here just previously by the condition of the carcass. I got some gruesomely cool photos, but don't worry, I won't include them.
I wanted to go back to the site early the next morning to check around for the Goshawk, and see the progession of scavenging on the down deer. It was the most beautiful morning with our first good snow, and it was perfect to express the magic of this scene and adventure. Here are some photos:
The last two photos below include the down buck. It's hard to say what brought him to his end, but this scene does express the reality of life, and the beauty of death in my opinion. This buck is returning back to the earth as a food source for numerous creatures, including the juvenile Goshawk, coyotes, red fox, as well as many other animals and organisms that are scavengers or decomposers. The rest of the deer remains will serve as fertilizer in the soil. Winter is a tough time for wildlife, and death in this manner is certainly not wasted. Mother Nature also draped a beautiful memorial scene to celebrate this deer's existence, and to express the magic of the cycling of energy : )
I am still on the lookout for my juvenile Goshawk, I hold hope that he may remain in the area for a while :) So, until he and I meet again, I will keep this beautiful creature in my memory.
