https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184338457
The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a site to behold! On a clear and quiet evening in Homer, this massive bird came up from a thicket of raspberry bushes with the a silence that marveled me. A modern analogy might be when one steps out in a parking lot, only to nearly be hit by a silent electric vehicle! There was nothing, then there was this magnificent creature.
While the Northern Goshawk can be found throughout much of Alaska, a sighting such as this was a lucky break as their habitat is normal densely forested areas. (“Northern Goshawk”) The goshawk feeds primarily on birds and small mammals like grouse, snowshoe hares, rabbits, and even snakes. It is believed they mate for life, and the male provides most or all of its mate’s food while the female is preparing to lay eggs. When chicks are born, the male continues to bring food, and the female feeds the young. ("Northern Goshawk Accipiter Gentilis.")
I can’t help but grow excited, learning that in Native shamanic traditions, the Goshawk is seen as a messenger from the spirit world (“Goshawk Spiritual Meaning”). I had been considering where to place my late father’s ashes, and here comes this majestic being that in Native tradition, according to Kristin Hawkins (“Goshawk Spiritual Meaning”) is “believed to be a guide for souls on their journey to the afterlife”. Reading through the “Goshawk Spiritual Meaning”, I also learned that in Native culture, the goshawk symbolizes wisdom, strength, and power. After witnessing this magnificent creature, I am not surprised that these qualities are represented by such a bird.
Works Cited
Northern Goshawk: "Northern Goshawk." Alaska Department of FIsh & Tame, 22 Sept. 2023, www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=northerngoshawk.main.
Goshawk Spiritual Meaning: Hawkins, Kristen . "Goshawk Spiritual Meaning, Symbolism and Totem." Spirit Animals & Symbolism, 25 Sept. 2022, spiritanimalsandsymbolism.com/goshawk-spiritual-meaning-symbolism-and-totem/.
Northern Goshawk Accipiter Gentilis.: "Northern Goshawk Accipiter Gentilis." Audubon, 22 Sept. 2023, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-goshawk.
Comments
Hi Sam, I enjoyed your analogy of the bird to the electric car, because electric cars get me all the time. My family has one and it always spooks me when they drive up. I am having a hard time scoping the size of this bird from your picture, but it must be relatively large if it eats other birds and various vermin. It's pretty sweet that the male provides for its mate while she's going through all of that egg-laying business. I appreciate the spiritual and personal connections as well, thank you for sharing your excitement!
IWhat a beautiful bird! I am always so excited to see hawks or eagles around here, we don’t have many. I was reading in Sibley Birds West is a rare hawk, so that is exciting you caught one on camera! It looks like a juvenile, judging from the colors and markings. The adults seem to have a white breast and grayish back, birds in the first year are bulky with brown speckled colors.
I love the spiritual connection you added, birds are so mystical. We have a lot of stories about them around here and I have had my share of experiences with them. A swallow appeared in a dream and inspired a tattoo I had been searching to create (long story lol), I’ve also had them show us where caribou were in a fashion similar to an legend I had heard.
Works Cited
Sibley, D. (2016). Sibley Birds West: Field guide to birds of western north america. Alfred A. Knopf.
Wow, Samantha;
What a beauty! I would be over the moon to see one of these beautiful creatures. I know people see them here in Southeast Alaska because I am on the Facebook site for Birds in Sitka, and these Goshawks will occasionally show up. Interestingly, you are considering placing your father's ashes near such a sighting. My father was in the Raven clan, and when he passed, I saw a huge Raven that seemed to speak to me and let me know that all was well. As we learn how animals are more sentient than we previously understood, some of us turn to the wisdom of the "Native shamanic traditions" because they have always understood this. So did the previous peoples of the "Old Ways" in Europe, too, like the Druids of the Celts.
Thank you for your information on this majestic bird,
Gayleen
Yes, such a beautiful bird, Sam! It's exciting for us all to see birds that are rare for us to get a glimpse of, so thanks for sharing this observation!
Now, just a quick comment on MLA format, Sam, as we are now working on getting that skill down in this class. Also, I'm including it publicly as this is information that everyone is learning and needs reminders about. First, please note that punctuation always goes AFTER the parenthetical citation, not before it, and also not within in. So, to be clear, your period should appear AFTER the final parenthesis that closes the citation.
Also, always include your parenthetical citation AFTER the quote or paraphrase that you got from your source. In your write-up you do include a quote, but you put the parenthetical citation before the quote. Remember: source information always goes after the quote or paraphrase.
Lastly, please be aware that Works Cited lists are always in alphabetical order by the first word of each entry. Furthermore, if a source has an author, that author's last name should generally be the word that begins the entry. For example, you included an article from a website, and that article was written by Kristen Hawkins. So, the entry for that source in the Works Cited should start: Hawkins, Kristen.
Thanks for your MLA work, and your delightful observation!
Best,
Professor Brooke
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