>I watched a small hawk fly over in a big hurry this morning but couldn't
ID
> it. At the risk of sounding like I know nothing about flying hawks
(which I
> don't) do they all fly with the tail closed? Not soaring or gliding,
but
> flapping wings.

>The behavior of flying with the tail closed is typical of hawks flying
in
>a straight line, usually with the wind. It is especially noticeable in
the
>accipiters (you almost certainly saw a Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawk)
>Tail spreading becomes necessary when a hawk has to maneuver or turn.

Hi Tweets;
I spent quite a bit of time the other day watching a hawk soar and
circle over the meadows of Discovery park. I hesitate to be too sure of
myself, but I'm pretty sure it was a Coopers. It was pretty darned high
up, but it had a rusty barred breast, and kept it's tail closed most of
the time. Only when it maneuvered with the wind did it open it's tail. I
had a Sharpie spend most of a winter around my bird feeders a few years
ago, and this bird looked much bigger, but I guess a Coopers can be
almost as big as a Red Tail, can't it?
By the way, I was fortunate/unfortunate enough to see the Sharpie pick
a House Finch and a Starling off my feeder. (Puts a new meaning to the
term bird feeder, doesn't it?) It had a real hard time gaining any
altitude with a screaming Starling clutched in one talon.
Getting back to the hawk, I thought it might be a Red Tail because of
the size, but the long closed tail, the silhouette, and rusty underparts
leads me to believe it was a Coopers.