A longer look at a juvenile Goshawk

Juvenile Goshawk, same location as 2012, 29.viii.2014

Same date plus two years (29 August 2014) and same place, the 'spur' watchpoint, but this time I was looking across the short and narrow valley to the south rather than the long view down the main valley from the spur end.  The day had started hazy and cloud cover was quite extensive by late morning.  Raptors showed early (Common Buzzards, Honey-buzzards and a  Sparrowhawk) but there had been no visible activity for some time when, my attention wandering, I poured a cup of tea from the flask.  I was happily anticipating the first sip when suddenly there were two raptors quite close overhead, evidently they had just crossed from the valley behind me on the other side of the spur ridge.  One large and one a little smaller but definitely bigger than the large Sparrowhawk seen earlier.  Some frustration at first because glare from the bright cloudy sky made it impossible to see colour and pattern, and my camera chose that moment to malfunction.

Juvenile Goshawk (far right!) mobbing Short-toed Eagle, 29.viii.2014

The smaller bird dived at the larger several times but without making contact and without evident aggression; the larger evaded contact but maintained a fairly steady course while looking around as if nervous.  The smaller turned out to be a juvenile Goshawk, the dark-streaked buff breast showing clearly as the pair crossed a patch of blue sky.  The larger was a Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus!  This species seems to provoke quite intense mobbing behaviour in other smaller raptors, but without presenting any obvious threat to them.

My camera finally decided to work again when the two were moving away, but only in time for one image of the birds close together.  Fortunately, the young Goshawk soon left the eagle and came back overhead; the (badly exposed) images show the overall shape quite well but only a hint of colour and pattern.

The long-winged appearance of Goshawk compared to Sparrowhawk, and the long 'hand', narrow compared to the secondaries, are shown clearly; note also the prominent tail, long and spatulate when closed, and the somewhat more prominent bill, head and neck.

The same juvenile Goshawk. Note long wings and narrow hand relative to Sparrowhawk (less clear in image at far right because wings are raised above horizontal); also bill, head and neck more prominent than in Sparrowhawk (again less clear in right-most image because head is elevated). N Apennines. 29,viii.2014.

I could not be certain, but strongly suspected that it was the same juvenile seen soon afterwards in company with a Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus and a Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus (possibly starting southward migration from one of the Po valley breeding sites), but this transient group, although at only moderate height, was several hundred metres distant over the opposite slopes of the side valley.  I was struck then by the strong similiarity in general shape between the Goshawk and the Honey-buzzard, and on several occasions since, when a medium sized raptor has just appeared over a distant ridge, I've been undecided at first between these two species .