NORTHERN GOSHAWK RESCUED FROM BRODOKOMERC WAREHOUSE AT KUKULJANOVO

On Thursday, 6 November 2014 at 11 a.m. the rangers of
PI “Priroda” responded to a report from Brodokomerc warehouse
workers at Kukuljanovo regarding a bird of prey trapped for two days in
one of the warehouses. According to the workers, on Tuesday morning the
goshawk flew into the warehouse through the main gate while chasing pigeons.
The workers assumed the bird would fly out the same way it flew in, but
because of the many vehicles going in and out of the warehouse, the goshawk
probably thought the safest place for it was high up on the pipes of the
air-conditioning system. Frightened by all the activity, it flew repeatedly
from one end of the warehouse to the other, occasionally hitting the glass
of the roof windows. With the help of the workers, A. Radalj, a licenced
bird-ringer of the Institute of Ornithology, set up a mist net to capture
the bird. Shortly, the goshawk was caught in the net and an examination
confirmed it was in good condition. The bird was then ringed and set free
in the local woods.

The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) is a bird of
prey with short, broad wings and a long tail. These features mean it is
adapted to manoeuvring between tree tops. It lives and nests in forests
where it hunts birds and mammals, relying on its speed and agility in
flying between branches. Its most important prey includes pigeons, doves
and passerines. The goshawk has a powerful hunting instinct, and young,
inexperienced birds have been known to sustain injuries from crashing
into windows and balcony railings when hunting in populated areas. The
Nature Protection Act classifies the northern goshawk as a strictly protected
species and should you come across a wounded bird you are required to
notify the State Institute for Nature Protection using the reporting and
monitoring system provided on its Web site http://www.dzzp.hr/obrazac-za-dojavu

Text by Patrik Krstinić
Photos by Marko Modrić