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Accipiter novaehollandiae
The white morph of the Grey Goshawk, which is known as the White Goshawk, is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae This bird was sitting in a tree just up the slope from our house. I spotted it because it was being mobbed by Forest ravens. It finally had enough and it flew up and caught a thermal, eventually leaving the ravens below.
The White Goshawk prefers wetter areas than where we live. We were very surprised to see it here. Especially since a Brown Falcon and a Brown Goshawk frequently spar over their respective boundaries at our property.
The only all white bird of prey. Only the white form is found in Tasmania.
Just noticed this spotting. Nice one, Lori! You may see I've recently had a White Goshawk visiting our house (we're near the water). Hoping to see it regularly :)
Interesting, I didn't realize there was more then one bird. I just googled the species. Beautiful birds! I love the ALL white morph! Truly unique! The grey ones are beautiful too!
Thanks Emily. Obviously I would have liked to have seen the goshawk closer, but these bird "combats' usually happen far up and end up far off. As the Grey/White goshawk usually lives near water I was unusually lucky to see one at our place. The only other times I have seen them, they were sitting in a tree on the bank of a river.
Since the ravens live here, and the goshawk was the interloper, I'd be hard pressed to name either as "good or evil", but get your analogy. I've added more photos to the wedge tail eagle versus ravens spotting. One thing you cans say about the ravens, they take on everybody.
It looks like a fight between good and evil in a fantasy film, the light against the darkness. It remembers me when nazgul were following Frodo in The Lord Of The Ring film. It is a very epic spotting! :D
We have the White and the Brown Goshawk in Tasmania, and a Red Goshawk in the north of Australia.
I've got a shot of the Brown Goshawk that I'll post in a minute or so.
As for getting these shots it was just a matter of rapidly hand focusing while holding down the shutter. Of course, that meant a lot of shots were out of focus, and some were just sky and no bird.
I've never had a look at the Goshawk we have in the states, great shots once again