Goshawk Attacks!
So I thought I'd update ya'll on this little Goshawk situation that we've been having over here, which I mentioned in one of my recent (i.e. beginning of may) posts. I'm sure you've all been wondering how the Goshawk is, and I would love to tell you, as I am currently pumped up on steroids, and therefore i'm having a hard time sleeping, even though I have to wake up at 4:30am tomorrow. Why am I pumped up on steroids you ask? Well, that's because I have poison ivy on my ass. Yes, my ass. I must have sat on a log with poison ivy, or crouched down in it, and then the oils went through my super technical lightweight outdoor pants, et voila! an incredibly itchy bumpy fleshy rash on my ass that progressively got worse until i could take it no longer, and went to the doctor looking for a cure. i am lucky though, i do not get oozing blisters from poison ivy. oozing blisters on my ass, that would not be fun. Okay, so that is why i am unable to sleep. Other side effects seem to be that I have to pee all the time, my pee smells really bad, and oh ya, i feel like punching everyone in the face.
Okay, back to the Goshawk. So about a week after it attacked me (brief recap: pair of giant birds repeatedly swooping at my head, at one point whacking me nice and hard, sending tingles through my brain), I sent Louise (one of my field assistants) to an area of the same site, not really thinking about the Goshawk. So turns out that the Goshawk also considered that area it's territory, and it gave her a surprise attack, whacking her in the head from behind, and cutting her ear with its talons. She ran in fear, and escaped further attacks. So I decided we would avoid the 10 hectares or so of the site that the Goshawk territory seemed to cover. All was well, until last week, Brad (my other field assistant) was in seemingly safe territory, when ZOOM! The goshawk had swooped down and taken the hat right off of his head. This was bad news, Goshawk territory was now closely overlapping Hooded Warbler Territory. The bird continued to follow him for another five hundred or so metres. basically the entire site. The issue was that the young had left the nest, and spread out. So now all three of us had been attacked. Brad and Louise were quite scared to go in on their own, so i decided we would stick in a group of three, and it would be fine. I wasn't scared. I was all cocky... what is a bird going to do to me? knock me out? give me a concussion? gauge out my eyes? yes, well maybe. but probably not. So anyways, we went to the site once, all three of us, and there were no incidents, but we did hear the baby Goshawks calling. So today we went back again, and were in a group of three. It was time to do some nest searching. I felt it would be more effective to spread out, so i headed down the trail. As soon as Brad and Louise were out of site, and I was on my own... WOOSH... KAK KAK KAK KAK KAK KAK KAK (that is the sound of a goshawk). I had been swooped at, this time from in front of me towards my face, but don't worry, i managed to duck in time, at the same time as i let out a yelp of fear. The attack brought back the memories from my first attack, which was quite awful really. I hurried back to where B and L were, with the goshawk hot on my heels. it stopped attacking once i was back in the group of three, but still let out a few more unsettling calls. I am no longer cocky, i do not want to go in there by myself any more. It came after use one more time, right when we were going to check one of our Hooded nests. I hope it doesn't eat any of my birds! I think they are too little for it to be worthwhile though. I sure hope so. So anyway, we have aquired hard hats for safety, but still none of us feel comfortable going in there alone. We also have saftey wistles, and walkie talkies, but what good is that going to do you when you are blinded and unconscious on the forest floor?
Okay, back to the Goshawk. So about a week after it attacked me (brief recap: pair of giant birds repeatedly swooping at my head, at one point whacking me nice and hard, sending tingles through my brain), I sent Louise (one of my field assistants) to an area of the same site, not really thinking about the Goshawk. So turns out that the Goshawk also considered that area it's territory, and it gave her a surprise attack, whacking her in the head from behind, and cutting her ear with its talons. She ran in fear, and escaped further attacks. So I decided we would avoid the 10 hectares or so of the site that the Goshawk territory seemed to cover. All was well, until last week, Brad (my other field assistant) was in seemingly safe territory, when ZOOM! The goshawk had swooped down and taken the hat right off of his head. This was bad news, Goshawk territory was now closely overlapping Hooded Warbler Territory. The bird continued to follow him for another five hundred or so metres. basically the entire site. The issue was that the young had left the nest, and spread out. So now all three of us had been attacked. Brad and Louise were quite scared to go in on their own, so i decided we would stick in a group of three, and it would be fine. I wasn't scared. I was all cocky... what is a bird going to do to me? knock me out? give me a concussion? gauge out my eyes? yes, well maybe. but probably not. So anyways, we went to the site once, all three of us, and there were no incidents, but we did hear the baby Goshawks calling. So today we went back again, and were in a group of three. It was time to do some nest searching. I felt it would be more effective to spread out, so i headed down the trail. As soon as Brad and Louise were out of site, and I was on my own... WOOSH... KAK KAK KAK KAK KAK KAK KAK (that is the sound of a goshawk). I had been swooped at, this time from in front of me towards my face, but don't worry, i managed to duck in time, at the same time as i let out a yelp of fear. The attack brought back the memories from my first attack, which was quite awful really. I hurried back to where B and L were, with the goshawk hot on my heels. it stopped attacking once i was back in the group of three, but still let out a few more unsettling calls. I am no longer cocky, i do not want to go in there by myself any more. It came after use one more time, right when we were going to check one of our Hooded nests. I hope it doesn't eat any of my birds! I think they are too little for it to be worthwhile though. I sure hope so. So anyway, we have aquired hard hats for safety, but still none of us feel comfortable going in there alone. We also have saftey wistles, and walkie talkies, but what good is that going to do you when you are blinded and unconscious on the forest floor?