…The talons went in through the helmet.” Or so says cyclist Charlie Newhouse, one of many victims of a Swainson’s Hawk that is vigorously defending its nest in eastern Oregon. The hawk and its behavior is the subject of an article in the East Oregonian.
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
Good link Corey. I always thought of them as a mellow hawk…guess I havent been close to a nest yet.
Thanks! I’ve only ever seen a single vagrant juvenile so I have no idea if this behavior is typical or not. Sounds more like how I would expect a goshawk to act.