Tweeters:
Was it Cooper?s or Sharp-shinned?
I spotted a hawk sitting in the bare tree behind my house around noon,
yesterday. I was able to watch it for about an hour. I am not sure what
species it was. It was a young bird. Some streaking on the breast and
white blotches on the wings. I could not get a good look at his face to
see eye position. I was surprised how long it stayed on that same branch.
At one point it was dive bombed by two passing crows. A little later a
crow landed in the same tree both birds seemed oblivious to the other as
they preened themselves. Another group of crows came along and harassed
it for a bit but nothing serious. The Hawk stood up and stretched giving
me good looks at outstretched wing and of legs . The legs were thin in
comparison to the size of the bird. While the crow was in the same tree I
should have compared the sizes of the birds then maybe I would know how
big the hawk was. When it did finally fly away I had a very short view of
it before it was over past the neighbors house and out of sight. I didn't
get a look to see if the tail was square or rounded. It seemed to flap
it?s wings faster than I have observed Cooper?s doing. There was no
vocalization the whole time I was watching. I'm leaning toward
Sharp-shinned. Can any one give me any more advice in solving this
mystery? The only time I am positive I saw a sharpie was one I saw on the
ground eating a robin or a towhee. That bird was just a little bigger
than it?s prey.

Linda Phillips