Goshawks are so difficult to spot they are known as 'phantoms of the forests'. Wildlife artist Robert E Fuller has a lifetime of watching birds for his paintings. Here he shares his top tips on how to look for goshawks in Yorkshire.
I once watched a BBC programme about goshawks called ‘The Phantom of the Forest’ and I thought the title just about summed up these powerful hunters. As big as buzzards and as fast and agile as a sparrowhawk on steroids, these birds are formidable. And yet, despite their size and character, they are elusive forest dwellers and you are lucky if you get a glimpse of one.
Where to spot goshawks
I have only seen them on a few occasions, either flashing through woodland rides or soaring over open moorland adjacent to forests. One of the best places to see them is over the thick forests of the North Yorks Moors National Park, which encompasses Dalby Forest, Cropton and Wyekham forests.
How to spot goshawks
I’ll never forget seeing one once in Cropton Forest. I was waiting patiently in a hide for some badgers to come out and had just set up my cameras. Everything seemed peaceful in the forest when all of a sudden I heard a clatter of wings above me. A wood pigeon flew over the hide and in a wild rush headed down a bank dodging through the trees, staying close to the ground as if its life depended on it.
In hot pursuit, like a tracer torpedo, was a female goshawk. The pigeon had a good lead and I was sure it would escape, but the goshawk has such an explosive power that it closed the gap with frightening speed. I watched as the pigeon spotted a gap in the canopy right above the badger sett and began to fly up towards the light in a desperate bid for freedom. But the goshawk was on it and grabbed it with great force. It then disappeared with its catch off into the darkening forest. All that was left of the pigeon was a cloud of feathers drifting quietly to the ground.
Due to their fearsome reputation for hunting, goshawks were the first British raptor to be persecuted to extinction and the last birds were shot in the late 1800s. It remained a popular bird with falconers however, since, as a hunting bird, it is capable of taking a wide range of birds and mammals. Its survival as a captive bird turned out to be its salvation. Birds lost on hunting trips quickly reverted to the wild and went on to breed, eventually, although tentatively, re-colonising the UK. Goshawks are still scarce but there are some strongholds in large forested areas.
When to spot goshawks
Spring is the best time of year to spot goshawk, as they soar over their territory in dramatic display flights to advertise for a mate. If you would like to see I recommend the wildlife tour operators Yorkshire Coast Nature. Run by expert birders Steve Race and Richard Baines these safaris take you up over the North Yorkshire Moors and into the Great Yorkshire Forest to see them. Steve Race is also an RSPB officer and professional photographer and their trips involve a drive across windswept heather moorland where you are likely to spot curlew and lapwing, before dipping into woodland to find goshawks and even honey buzzards.
