The incredible hawk - and more

We watched a film clip today of a goshawk hunting from a branch and reacting as a pheasant took off below him. The hawk gave chase. The pheasant seemed to be making his getaway. But then the goshawk closed the gap. Mind you, the pheasant looked as big as the hawk. The hawk had a position a little above and behind its prey. I thought it would strike from on high. But it suddenly swooped under the pheasant, rolled over on it's back and grabbed the underside, reaching upward with its talons. It was the most incredible maneuver I could imagine. Bren and I both wondered if we had seen the same thing. We had.

Goshawks are pretty amazing and incredibly bold. Read this brief National Geographic article to get an idea of what it feels like to be on the reciving end of a goshawk attack. I saw a goshawk in Dartmouth a couple years ago – the only one I’ve seen in the wild.
Goshawk image -

This was just one small example of what is simply the best static exhibition I have ever seen about birds of prey – raptors. It is called “Hunters of the Sky,” and is on display at the Pequot Museum in Connecticut until September 1 . It was produced by the The Science Museum of Minnesota and is on tour, so I’m sure it will be available elsewhere.

I feel I know hawks pretty well – but in this exhibit I not only learned new things, but I got a greater depth of awareness of things I already knew – such as the differences in size between male and female accipiters.

This is not an exhibition for the squeamish. These birds eat other animals – some times cute animals – and other birds – sometimes our favorite song birds. Confronting the reality of the nature we tend to romanticize can be a distressing experience – here I thought the confrontation was handled gently, but directly, at times remind us of our own carnivorous nature.

I have not always been comfortable with this, but over the years have come to grips with it. When someone complains to me now about a sharpie striking the birds at their feeder, I remind them it is, indeed, a “bird feeder.” Birds of prey need to eat as well – and frankly, they do not do very well. About 90 percent of most hawks don’t make it through their first year. I once watched a young osprey dive over and over again into the Westport River. I was paddling down it in my kayak and the Osprey stayed well out in front of me trying to catch lunch. In the course of an hour he must have madetwo dozen dives and never once came up with a fish.

But I digress. My favorite raptor experience is standing on a mountain top during fall migration. My second most favorite one is watching a good, live show put on by skilled falconers such as we have seen at King Richard’s Fair in Carver in the fall, or Animal Kingdom in Disney World, or The Raptor Center in Woodstock, VT.. But for a pure learning experience that will serve you well in the field, you can’t beat this exhibition. Allow at least an hour – maybe two. (The Vermont Raptor Center is undergoing a major change – check their web site before attempting to visit. )

The museum itself is very impressive and worth more time – the directions for finding it aren’t, impressive, however, nor does its web site do it justice. To get there we simply took Rt 95 South from Providence. Then we took Exit 92 – the second exit after you cross the Connecticut line - and followed the signs to “Foxwoods Casino.” Just before getting to the casino, we saw a small sign on the right alerting us to a road just ahead that went off to the left and led to the museum.

Hours, prices, and similar details can be found here. I should add that the hawk exhibit is only one part of the museum experience which focuses on the lives of native Americans – but it’s an unusual part and will only be available there during July and August.

Sadly, they did not allow any photography, so I had to link to the pictures that accompany this entry. The first is from the National Geographic article referenced and the second from the exhibit itself. (I guess flash pictures would disturb the mood in some exhibits, but I really don't understand this ban. There were many things I would have liked to photograph and it would have enriched my experience to do so. There's a lot of money - I assume, casino money - in this museum. The building is an incredible piece of architecture, the grounds beautiful, and the crowds seemed relatively small. I got the feeling the museum was the conscience of the casino, but that not many casino visitors were interested ;-)

Posted by Greg Stone at July 11, 2003 06:50 AM