7 year hiatus

February 24 2007 1:15 p.m. Mission Bay RV Park (formerly, De Anza RV Park)

We went to SD (a 6-7 hour drive) for 3 nights. We were going to spend the afternoon at the RVP, visiting with friends. It was also my favorite site to observe NG. Within 3 minutes, I found 2 or 3 Ravens with 1 Red -Tailed Hawk. The hawk was spiraling downward, as was the Raven. Above and behind them may have been a NG. 5 minutes later, I was scanning the Spanish- Church- hillside. At about 1,000 feet altitude was a NG; soaring and circling. Below the raptor was a flock of circling pigeons. The NG stooped to an elevation of about 500 feet, then leveled-off, and followed the ridge line. Observation time - 3 minutes. Note: I hadn't been to this area in 7 years!

Around March 13 2000 11:00 a.m. 1 mile north of Mormon Church (Interstate 5)


1 accipiter , probably, a NG. If it was a NG, it was a male. The bird was crossing, fairly low, over the highway.





March 14 2000 11:00 a. m. (Drew Ford Company) in La Mesa


1 female NG was circling. the bird caught a thermal and went out and up to possibly 5,000 feet. By talking to the people of the dealership= they will describe the action of 2 hawks. These hawks are true hawks, and I can deduce neither is a female NG. I will guess that one is a Cooper's and the other a male NG. But who is going to take the time to resolve the issue?

January 30 2000 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monument Road (Chula Vista) Borderfields State Park



This was our second and last trip to the state park. I went there to find NG. As soon as an NG was observed; I turned my truck around and departed, for I had achieved by goal. We were less than 220 yards into the park, when an accipiter was observed to our front; and about 1,000 feet in elevation. the bird was a male NG, rapidly pumping toward the estuary. This bird appeared to be mature.I called Phil Jenkins (Director of Tijuana Slough and Borderfields State Park) after each of my (2) sightings.







Febuary 9 2000 RVP



All over the RVP and into the Clairemont Hills; 2 NG cavorting. The distance was too far and the birds too active to determine the sexes.







February 15 2000 RVP



Male and female NG were cavorting- in the late afternoon. The storminess lifted about 3 hours prior to my sighting; observed from the RVP cove.







This next set of sightings can show what can result when an investigation is carried out; by gathering pieces of information and discarding other (negative) pieces. During the Christmas Bird Count, I brought up the subject of NG in the SD area. At this time, I was told someone had observed this species in SD. After my December sightings I called Ed Wallace: desiring to find out; who, when, and where. I was told, "at Point Loma and in the fall". I went to Cabrillo Point on 2 occasions, and determined the location was not a good observation post. I drove by the military cemetery on Point Loma. This area also did not afford a good position- so I went to Shelter Island- to get a great look at most of the Point Loma ridge line.







The date is sometime after February 15 2:00 p.m., Shelter Island



1 female NG lifted off and soared toward Shelter Island. She came approximately one-half of the way, and turned to go back to the area she had left. The skies were grey; without sunlight. The bird appeared to be immature.







February 19 2000 12:00 p.m. Shelter Island



1 female NG; soaring over Point Loma.







March 5 2000 11:00 a.m. Point Loma



This was my first and only ride on the top of Point Loma (Catalina Blvd.)



A raptor was flying toward me; about 20 feet higher than my truck. The bird was flying parallel to the blvd., and about 100 yards to the side. When the bird came even with my truck, I pulled over and got out. As the bird slowly drifted away, on loose, relaxed wings, and after going approximately 600 yards and dropping off the side of the ridge line- on the Shelter Island side- well, there was no mistaking this bird as anything other than a female NG.







February 28 2000 12:00 p.m. SD Wild Animal Park



1 male NG; circling, high overhead.







March 13 2000 1:00 p.m. RVP cove



One sub-adult male NG; low, overhead. The bird was flying rapidly, toward the Clairemont Hills.

I arrived in San Diego (SD) on December 1 1999. On the December 18 Christmas Bird Count we saw a hawk lift off and soar upward and gaining altitude - to be higher than our position. The bird was a female NG. The bird drifted slowly toward the zoo. We watched the bird drift and glide in inactive flight; wing beats were deep and relaxed; dorsal area was brown. Location- Colima Park (parking lot) 11 am. The observers were Mary Beth Stowe and Ed Wallace. Observation time approximately 1 to 2 minutes.





December 24 7:30 a.m. Garnet St. and the Rose Creek Inlet.


1 perched, immature male NG; on the top of a high telephone pole. The bird had a small, round head; thick, extensive, dark streaking; dorsal area was very dark- nearly black. The bird went to perch on the telephone pole on my side of the road. The bird dropped to grab some kind of prey. As the bird was dropping,with extended wings, toward the evergreen shrubs, I noticed the large arm-small hand. The bird flew away, 20 to 30 yards through the trees.





December 26 2:00 p.m. Rose Creek and Grand Ave.


1 female NG: came off the Clairmont Hills (near the Spanish Church). The bird came down to the flat area, however the buildings blocked my view. About 5 minutes later, as I was walking back to De Anza RV Park (RVP) the bird appeared. She was spiraling upward toward an elevation of about 5,000 feet. Then she headed for Fiesta Island.





December 28 12:30 p.m. soaring off of Clairmont Hills.


1 female NG.





January 3 2000 10:00 a.m. Costco parking lot (Morena Blvd.)


1 female NG, soaring overhead.





January 4 2000 3:oo p.m. SDGE Plant, on Santa Fe St.


I was waiting for raptors to roost. 1 female NG went across the gap; from the Clairemont Hills to Muir Hills. At the base of this gap is Interstate 5.





January 5 2000 3:05 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. RVP beach.


I was looking into the gap; 1 NG; much flapping and rising; sex ? My scope was not as efficient as my binos, because of the foggy conditions.

This is an example of the commonality of the Northern Goshawk (NG): you have seen NG; your friends have seen NG; your neighbors have seen NG. If you do not have confidence separating accipiters from falcons,and falcons from the Harrier, then what is the outcome? And what if your friend has no interest in raptors? Here are 3 examples of the outcome: the bird is misidentified; the bird is identified correctly; the bird is not identified, for whatever reason.
Of my 1,000 daily- sightings of NG, less than 1% are of perched NG, and less than 1% are of NG passing through, in migration.
Suggestion: you should adhere to the publication, "Hawks in Flight", by Pete Dunne et. al.

This blog site will cover my 4 months in San Diego (1999-2000), and my 3 days in 2007. A small percentage of Northern Goshawk (NG) sightings in San Diego (SD) were not recorded.

Additional blogs will be published from my existing and continuing notes, such as:

Goshawks of Tucson

Goshawks of Apache Junction, Az

Goshawks of Anacortes, Wa.