Occasionally, the daily commute brings us the unexpected, and today's drive home was as just about as memorable as they come.  A massive imm. NORTHERN GOSHAWK was perched briefly on a wire on along Howe Rd. in Strongsville, just south of Strongsville Mall, around 4:10 PM this afternoon.  I fully expected the bird to be a young Red-shoulder - quite typical behavior for them - but there was no mistaking the size and markings of a gos from fifteen feen away...as I nearly instigated a 12-car pileup.  Overall, a hulking, big-headed raptor, sitting with a bit of a hunch (those who have seen Red-shoulders on wires know they quite often appear to have excellent posture), washed with creme and boldly streaked beneath, and sporting a broad, distinctive white supercillim.  Cooper's Hawk is a much slighter bird in build, white below with fine brown streaks, and also holds a more erect posture.  It is rare to see a Cooper's Hawk perched on a wire, in my
experience, though I don't how much more common for goshawks.

Hopefully, this bird is hanging in the area.  Howe Rd. is just a stone's throw from I-77, so area birders stay alert!  Good goshawk photos for our state are few-and-far between and I had my camera in the car, but as soon I began rummaging, the bird took off.

Good birding -
Gabe Leidy
Cleveland, OH





______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]