#pinfeathers

This is my friend’s new baby (eyass) northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis).  He is a captive bred, Russian/Finnish subspecies cross and is 100% ADORABLE.  I pretty much screamed with glee every time he did anything.

My friend is a licensed falconer of the general class, so it is legal for her to own and raise this bird.  He is destined to be a hunting hawk and under my friend’s care and training, I know he’s going to be one major badass by the beginning of the hunting season this fall.  For now he’s wibbly, wobbly, and covered in cotton.

Northern goshawks are sort of the Ferraris of the falconry world.  They are fast, extremely agile, and focused, but make a mistake and you will pay big time.  They are not forgiving birds and they require very experienced falconers to handle and train them.  I’m very excited to watch him grow and watch my friend train him.  I want a goshawk eventually, but not until after a lot more experience with more forgiving raptors.  I’ve been out hunting with several goshawks, and man, it’s a wonderful and intense experience.  Their ability to move through the forest is like watching poetry in sharp, pointy motion.