This, our bird-loving friends, is without a doubt one of the coolest — and most unexpected — avian patients we’ve ever had the privilege to care for! 🤯 Meet… the Northern goshawk!
Now, we know what some of you are thinking: “Isn’t that just a big sparrowhawk?” And yes, at first glance, it does bear a striking resemblance — but don’t let that fool you. The goshawk is its bigger, bolder cousin, with far more power behind those wings and talons. This majestic raptor is a true apex predator of the forest, and it typically stays well out of sight, hidden deep within dense woodland where it rules the skies with lightning-fast agility and an impressive wingspan.
So imagine our surprise when this elusive bird of prey was discovered — not in a forest, but collapsed on a pavement in the heart of Guildford! She was found with a visible head injury and further trauma to her keel (the bony ridge along her breast) and back, likely the result of a hard impact. We can only imagine what she must have gone through before she was spotted and brought into our care.
Upon her arrival, our expert vet team jumped into action, immediately carrying out X-rays to check for any fractures or serious internal injuries. Thankfully, the scans came back clear — a huge relief — but her condition still required cautious and intensive care. Right now, our top priority is stabilising her condition and keeping her as calm and comfortable as possible while we conduct further examinations.
To give you a sense of how rare and special this patient is: WAF (Wildlife Aid Foundation) has only once before treated a goshawk — and that individual was a falconer’s bird. Believe it or not, many of the goshawks in the UK’s wild population today are descendants of captive birds that either escaped or were deliberately released in past decades. Historically a rare sight, records of wild goshawks began to rise in the 1960s, mostly in heavily wooded areas. Even now, seeing one in the wild is a real treat for seasoned birdwatchers — and treating one in our clinic is virtually unheard of.
We know many of you are eager to know how Ghost is doing. We’re pleased to report that she’s making noticeable progress: she’s alert, responding to care, and, perhaps most promisingly, absolutely demolishing every bit of food we offer her. Appetite is always a good sign! However, one thing is still troubling — she hasn’t yet made any effort to fly.
While her X-rays didn’t reveal any broken bones, our vet team isn’t taking any chances. They’ve decided to carry out additional tests and monitor her closely over the coming days. It’s possible that her reluctance to fly is due to lingering pain or disorientation from the head injury, or it may simply be that she still needs more time to recover her strength and confidence.
Finally, after 30 days in care! Ghost gave us what we’d all been waiting for… her first flight!
As we walked up to the aviary to do yet another assessment on her, we spotted her perched on the highest branch! The only way for her to have got there was by flying. Vet, Raul walked to the side of the aviary and then it happened! She flew from one side of the aviary to the other! As conversations had begun to start questioning her chance of ever being released, her choice to fly could not have come at a better time!
As we are limited on space and suitable aviaries, Ghost was transferred to RSPCA East Winch, based in Norfolk, where they had a large aviary space for her, where she could appropriately regain her flight muscle.
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