Aerial Attacker

[leiavoia]

I got dive bombed and yelled at by an Unidentifed Bird of Prey and would like to get your help in ID'ing it. I don't know much of anything about birds. I can't tell a hawk from an eagle.

These photos are bad, i know. But i was under active threat while standing in a most precarious place at Hanging Rock on the Wild Rogue River Loop. It picked a lovely place for a nest or whatever.

Hopefully you can at least tell me what general class of bird it is. I doubt anyone could do better given the images. Based on cursory research, it seems like Falcon, perhaps Peregrine? Wikipedia says they like South-facing rocky overhangs, and that's exactly what Hanging Rock is.

I can say it had 30-36" wingspan and screeched. It made 4 dive passes right over my head before i figured out what was going on (i was taking pictures of the view). Sounded like someone whirling a huge rope over their head. I cannot tell you about coloring. I was more interested in not getting my scalp peeled off.

Thanks for any help you can provide. You guys are better at this than i am.

[aiwetir]

This silhouette is definitely a falcon and it sounds like you were in peregrine territory. It looks a little thick for a peregrine, but it's about the right size. It's a good time of year for them to attack you too, they should just about have hatchlings I think.

[Waffle Stomper]

I think it is a Peregrine, as well. If you were anywhere near cliffs you may have been near a nest. The silhouette looks about right, maybe a little chunky but it could be the angle. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Per ... n/overview

[retired jerry]

Nice

A Goshawk knocked my hat off a couple years ago on Badger Creek trail, must have been near it's baby

[Aimless]

Another possibility to check out against that silhouette would be a goshawk. They are notoriously aggressive when nesting and there was one on the Badger Creek trail about four years ago who savaged the head* of Retired Jerry, during repeated attacks.

* well, it did manage to put a shallow gash on his head (edit: I see he has already responded)

[retired jerry]

actually, I wore a hat

someone else came by a couple days later without hat and got head scratched

[aiwetir]

Not an accipiter, definitely falcon

[birdhiker]

Agree, there is plenty of info in photo to id this as a falcon and a Peregrine Falcon, Other only option would be Prairie Falcon but that would be a great find down there. Prairies have slightly different structure, narrower wings at base and tend to be rounder tips. Peregrines are bulky like this, with larger head and broad pointed wings compared t other smaller falcons. Goshawks have different structure with longer tail and broader rounder wings, they can appear very falcon like, but trailing edge of wing is shaped different. All wing shape is due to different lengths of the primaries and secondaries. Goshawks are forest birds so they have wings and tails designed to shoot through trees with sharp turns going after other birds, falcons are built for speed and direct open air attacks.

[retired jerry]

"Goshawks are forest birds so they have wings and tails designed to shoot through trees with sharp turns going after other birds"

That Goshawk that knocked my hat off made multiple attacks

It was really clever about approaching from behind me and behind a branch so I didn't see it until right before it hit me

And it was very quiet. After each attack it would sit in a tree and scream at me

I finally just picked up a branch and held it up slightly above my head so the bird couldn't make a glancing attack

On the way back out it never saw me, but I was aprehensive when I got to that spot

[birdhiker]

Goshawks are well known for urging folks out of their territory.