Watch The Fantastic Dance Of The Goshawk
The Forestry Commission is inviting nature lovers to witness one of the great displays of Mother Nature – the courtship ritual of the goshawk.
A three hour trek is being staged through Kielder Forest on Sunday 21 March led by ornithologist Martin Davison, starting out at 10am.
The goshawk is one of the UK’s most threatened birds of prey, but at Kielder it has found a safe haven under the watchful gaze of conservationists and wildlife rangers.
Generally it keeps its head down and is virtually impossible to spot. But during the mating season it throws caution to the wind and engages in trilling aerial displays, plunging through the air with its tail feathers fanned out in a bid to enrapture females.
“It really is the most fantastic display and we get people from across the country coming to witness the event,” said Martin Davison, who helps the Forestry Commission monitor Kielder’s bird life. “I’ll be taking walkers to where we hope the action will take place. The bird likes a good strong wind to perform in as it seems to get them even more excited.”
Young goshawk chicks fledge in June and adult females then quit the forest in October for lower ground. But the males stay put throughout the year. Some of the chicks will be ringed to help conservation efforts and during the critical breeding months forest operations give nests a wide berth to avoid disturbance.
The walk starts from Kielder Castle. Bring stout footwear, warm clothing and binoculars. The cost is £3 and £2 concessions. Further information on
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