It is late morning in early March and I am standing high on a ridge, overlooking a sweep of dark green Sitka spruce forest, stitched through with swathes of larch, still clothed in their gingery winter needles. The early spring sun is beginning to take the chill from the air and a couple of local buzzards are calling from the trees below. 

Watching the grey ghost

Suddenly, a flurry of woodpigeons explodes from the treetops. My eye is drawn to the grey and white form of a female goshawk, cutting across the canopy with effortless authority. She exudes power and control, holding her tail tightly closed and fluffing out her snow-white undertail coverts like a pom-pom. She flaps on stiff wings up into the early spring sky and begins to circle, wide and deliberate over her breeding territory, a clear message to any other female that this is her patch. Right on cue, a smaller bird, still strong in stature, powers up out of the forest to meet her. The two spiral up into the clouds, before the male, unable to contain himself, breaks away and performs a series of impressive switchbacks across the valley, flying rapidly down before closing his wings and shooting up vertically into the clear sky. Performance over, he dives back into the forest, landing near the unseen nest. I feel like applauding!

Goshawks, known evocatively as the ‘grey ghost’ (a name also often applied to male hen harriers), are one of our most secretive and enigmatic raptors. For much of the year they melt into the forest, rarely seen, but in late winter and early spring they give themselves away through spectacular aerial displays. Any large tracts of forest – they particularly like commercial plantations – can host goshawks; find a vantage point with a clear view of the skyline and, ideally, with the sun behind you. A clear day, with sunny spells and breeze is best and most display occurs from mid to late morning. In cold, overcast conditions, display can still occur, but it is less intense. If it is raining, stay at home!

By April, the female will be settled on her eggs, display stops and the birds become very hard to spot. The female is entirely reliant on her mate to feed her while she incubates, which explains why these early-season displays matter so much. She is not only defending a territory rich in food and safe nest sites, but also guarding her partner. Males are valuable assets and females are known to fight – and even kill – rivals to secure them. This is serious business and aerial chases and battles can be intense.

Spring in the air

Spring is the season of aerial theatre. Many birds of prey take to the sky to reassert territories, strengthen pair bonds or attract new mates; the presence of unpaired birds often ramps up the drama. Even the arrival of another raptor species can provoke a response.

When looking for goshawks, I often watch the local buzzards as they can cause a reaction from territory-holding hawks. 

For those in areas without goshawks, sparrowhawks put on a similar display, though on a smaller scale. I have seen them do this over the housing estate I live in; listen out for the alarm calls of the local blackbirds and starlings and then look up.  

Look up!

Buzzards and red kites have become widespread in the last twenty years and both species perform aerial displays. Red kites are the elegant show-offs, favouring graceful tandem flights in which pairs mirror one another high above the landscape, twisting their forked tails and occasionally touching talons. Buzzards follow a similar script, though with more frequent talon-locking and dramatic switchback dives from the male, in the manner of a goshawk. Both species are highly vocal during these displays and it is often their calls that alert you to the action overhead.

Skydancer

The undisputed master of the spring skies is the hen harrier. Still suffering from illegal persecution, hen harriers are far rarer than they should be, denying many people the chance to see their extraordinary displays. 

The silvery male truly dances in the sky, performing steep climbs, rolls, stalls and plunges in a fluid sequence that can last several minutes. It is impossible not to feel exhilarated watching it – and one assumes the females are equally impressed! 

The display reaches its climax with a precision food pass. The male offers the female a prey item in mid-air and the female rises to meet him, flipping onto her back to catch the offering he drops into her outstretched talons. To witness this spectacle, you’ll need to head to the uplands of the north Pennines or, better still, the north and west of Scotland, where hen harrier numbers are higher.

A brighter future?

To witness the display of our birds of prey is one of the highlights of spring. Please make sure you watch from a distance to avoid disturbance – your view will be better anyway – and under no circumstances approach a nest site. Most of our birds of prey are so threatened and sensitive to disturbance that it’s illegal to do so without a licence.

With efforts to stamp down on persecution of birds of prey, the sight of goshawks, hen harriers and others skydancing raptors over our landscapes could become a familiar joy rather than a rare privilege. This spring, make a habit of looking up – you never know what drama is unfolding above your head.

Jono Leadley is head of operations for North Yorkshire at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. He has been watching birds of prey for forty years. He is particularly passionate about goshawks and spends many hours each year in the forests of North Yorkshire watching them. He has travelled to Berlin to study the urban goshawks and participates in survey work here in the UK.