As we get into November, hopes for large numbers of birds are minimal, but the possibility of catching something like a Great Horned Owl has gone up, which is why I've found myself at the hawk trapping blind as the sun is setting with hopes of luring in one of these massive birds before opening up the nets for the night. Though there have been no signs of GHOWs yet, I did catch a late Goshawk last night, just as it was getting dark. Though the hawk trappers have caught a number of adults already, I'm usually asleep for them, so this was my first adult of the year!
This is a second year female
The brown feathers are retained juvenile feathers from last year
As with other Accipiters, their eye color changes from yellow to orange to red as they get older. The low lighting did not help any of these pictures, but the blur seen here is due to some excessive screaming by this bird.
