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This is probably the worst photo of a Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) you’ll ever see but it’s my photo of a Goshawk, a raptor that’s been my bogey bird ever since I started birding seriously. I’ve had a lot of false sightings – more hope than skilled identification – but, finally, last Wednesday, my Goshawk time had come. As our county recorder and a local birding expert both told me, the key indicators here are its size (I initially thought Buzzard, then realised it wasn’t flying like a Buzzard), the broad bulging shape of the inner wing, the broad hips, the rounded tail and, finally, the heavily dark-streaked belly of a juvenile Goshawk. Although Goshawks don’t bred locally, the juveniles tend to wander quite widely once they fledge so now is a good time to see/look for them.

230729 goshawk