Goshawk Nest in Zemgalē 2025

[Polly]

Two out of three pieces of food will fit into the little chicks.
Mona will tease the squirrel out of the nest.

[Polly]

17:49/50 There are sounds in the forest that sound like a male cat.
'53 Crow heard

'57 I thought it sounded like a female goshawk. Begging... but it could have been begging calls or warning calls from another bird.

Interestingly, the older chick reacts. It's communicating with the strange bird!



Mona also seems confused. But there's no time for that - Miks is approaching with food. He's dropping it.


Do all these sounds have something to do with Miks's hunting trip?

[Polly]

And the feeding continues.
The chicks are still eating.


There they lie – real little darlings.

[Polly]

19:17 And the eating continues, girls. Mona brings more food... and the younger one even eats greedily.

[Polly]

20:35 And now the squirrel. Don't get tired.


*burps
Actually, the children are watching Mona eat. They eat a little, but they're really full.

[Polly]

It seems to be the older chick, digesting.


And silent finally returns.



No dessert today.




22:29 A croak?
Frog or bird?

[Polly]

May 29th


04:03 - 43 Mona on her first morning round. Her children are still asleep.


Mona brings a thin twig.

[Polly]

05:15 Mona leaves the nest again and returns 13 minutes later with food.
The younger chick is hesitant, first defecating and then showing interest in the food.




The older chick has a good appetite despite being fattened yesterday.
'32 It swallows a leg of the feeder bird.


I think we have two girls here. Just my guess based on their legs/toes.
I'm pretty sure, at least with the older chick.

Mona devotes herself to nest work after feeding.

[Polly]

06:23 - 44 Mona is outside the nest. The chicks are sleeping peacefully.

06:49 She leaves the nest again, bringing a fir branch with her.
08:17

[Polly]

08:25 Mona is plowing again...

[Polly]

09:58 Mona hurriedly leaves the nest.

10:02 Miks enters the nest with food. Mona is already on her way, and Miks hurriedly flies away.




The female lays down again, covering herself with the food, while her children are already eagerly grabbing it.
Everyone screams.


The siblings are well fed.

[Polly]

11:02 Mona leaves the nest in a hurry.


The little ones are slumbering but also wandering around the nest. They seem relaxed but warm.

[Polly]

12:23 Mona is returning.




Her feathers have recovered well. Mona looks great!

[Polly]

12:29 Mona rushes out of the nest, calling and continuing to call.
While she can be heard nearby, Miks brings food into the nest.
He flies back down.




The food has already been distributed.

[Polly]

Mona doesn't take long to respond, takes the food, and begins feeding.




#1 soon turns away, disinterested, but returns to feed.

[Polly]

A heaviness hangs in the air.

Temperatures around 20°C with a chance of thunderstorms.




Mona puts up the awning, but the shade doesn't reach the children.
At least the airing out is doing her good.

[Polly]

13:07 Mona stands on the edge of the nest, close to the tree trunk, observing the area.
She leaves the nest and returns with a huge fir branch.




Mona places it against the edge of the nest, adjusts it slightly, and leaves the nest again.

The female brings a branch covered in lichen.

[sova]

Polly, just my guess, the kids react to Beute/Miks just like Mona does...I feel like Mona is very hectic. The two of them aren't really starving.
She doesn't have the calmness like Perle or Alla.

[Polly]

sova!

I'm very happy to be able to observe a pair here in a completely different habitat.
They have different neighbors, different food, and so this pair in the forest seems to be different too. Or rather, there are differences in their behavior. They seem rougher, tougher, less playful, and absolutely trimmed to the bare essentials.
It's quite a change from the affluent Goshawks in Riga to this forest pair. But it's good to see this side of things as well. To know and have the proof that Goshawks also have their problems and losses. And they don't reproduce like crazy and everything is always fine.
Mona sometimes clucks with her chicks. So she can certainly have benevolent and affectionate feelings and express them.

I find Mona very tough. She expresses what she expects, and she has to. She defends what's hers.
I suspect Mona is still young. Honestly, I have no idea how to tell a Goshawk's age (other than their eyes), so it's possible she doesn't have much experience yet.

What I don't understand is her feeding behavior. It was up and down. Sometimes there was plenty, sometimes nothing at all for a day. I've seen Boka and H21 keep their chicks somewhat 'abstained' at times. But usually at a time when the hawklets were older and just about to branch out.

I hope these two chicks have a good chance.

[Polly]

(Addition May 29th)

13:14 Mona leaves the nest.
The alarm whistle of a blackbird fills the air...

13:34 Miks brings food to the nest. Mona can be heard, but she doesn't appear in the nest.






A chick jumps on the food... but later crawls back into the comfort zone.
Mona calls and calls...

14:05 Noises in the tree, rustling.
Are Miks or Mona in the nest tree?

The chicks are asleep, and the blackbird is still announcing danger.