Isle Royale Forums

From the Park Service:

Goshawks Nesting on the Minong Trail East of the East Huginnin Cove trail junction
Female goshawks are aggressive when defending their nests. Intruders are warned by a defensive flight at close range, along with loud vocalizations.
The Northern Goshawk is legendary for its ferocity, beauty and amazing flight skills. While most hawks soar and dive over open areas; goshawks are more likely to be seen within forests, darting through the trees beneath the canopy.
Goshawks are large birds that have developed short, powerful wings and protective eye tufts which enable them to fly through the forest understory and canopy in pursuit of songbirds and squirrels. Their long, rudder-like tails give them the acrobatic ability to spin around trees and quickly dive under shrubs.
Each pair of goshawks builds and maintains between three and nine nests within their home range, but uses and defends only one (or less) per year. The pair on the Minong is currently defending a nest right along the trail. This pair has become very aggressive, physically contacting hikers during their low flights.
 If you hike this trail section, stay together as a group and travel quickly through the area.
 Wearing a hat (and affixing fake “eyes” to the back) may provide some protection from low flying parents.
 Carry a branching stick above your head, like an umbrella (keeps head from being highest target).

Does a baseball bat qualify as a stick?

I had a run in with one two years ago in the Boundary Waters. We were on a long portage,and had to make two trips. On the second trip with gear, I lost my hat. Fortunately it drew no blood. It was my fault for taking more than one trip, I'm not as young as I used to be. But I will say that can be very scary. I felt the wings on both shoulders.

I had a run-in with these two on 5/9. I did get to keep my hat but the first one smacked me right on top of the head and left shoulder. Waving one of my trekking poles over my head kept the rest of the dive bombs from the pair at a safer distance but whew... hell of a thing.

Go to the the following web site: https://webapps8.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer_index

Enter the search term: "goshawk"

Click on the "Alpha Accipiter, The" link and download the PDF.

Read and enjoy.

Consider yourself lucky that a bird wants to lacerate your scalp--it's why we love the outdoors.

I finally just got finished writing about those buzzards in my trip report. I hated the one I encountered initially, but naviely believed that in the end they may have helped me. You'll understand if you have read my trip report

Apparently the goshawks are not harassing hikers as they were early in the season.

It still doesn't appreciate solo hikers in the area. The stick trick worked. I got dive-bombed six to eight times. It hit the stick a couple of times - always attacked/warned from behind. That was the fastest section of the Minong for me that day. My feet were burning from trying to get out of the area as quickly as possible. I passed through on June 18.