Last week I got a call from someone who had seen a Northern Goshawk near Sitka Community Hospital. He was alerted when he heard his chickens sounding alarmed, and found an immature goshawk (though he wasn’t sure what it was at the time) on top of the pen – which was covered with chainlink fencing. From there it flew off to a tree where he was able to get a good look at it.
I’m guessing this juvenile that I photographed today is the same bird. I first saw it flying across Park Street and down Etolin. I didn’t get a great look, but it seemed too large for the Sharp-shinned Hawks which have been frequenting the neighborhood this winter. It landed in a tree where I couldn’t see it. A raven made a dive at it and it flew to another nearby tree where I was able to get a better look (and these photos). Ravens made another couple of half-hearted passes at it before it took off and appeared to head toward the ground behind a house with chickens and ducks. I checked it out, but when I approached toward where the chicken yard is, the goshawk flew away toward the west along Biorka Street and I lost sight of it.
