Nothing like having a bird in the hand and examining it while you're banding
it.



Gene Kridler, Old Broken Down Retired Wildlife Biologist/Administrator



-------Original Message-------



From: Bruce Moorhead

Date: 04/19/06 17:02:49

To: Tom Aversa; Bob Norton; Bob Boekelheide; Tweeters

Cc: Paul Crawford

Subject: [Tweeters] Close-up look at Cooper's Hawk



I had a memorable close-up experience with an adult Cooper's Hawk near
Sequim yesterday. As I pulled up to park at the east end of the Olympic
Discovery Trail along White Feather Way, just off U.S. 101 east of Sequim WA
I noticed a large dark-gray hawk with a prominent black head sitting
quietly on one of the low wooden railings at the trailhead, and only about
25 ft from my truck. It seemed so bolt-still and upright on the railing that
my first impression was of a life-size sculpture someone had put there,
rather than a living bird. I maneuvered slowly from the vehicle, and finally
leaned across the truck hood with my 10x binocs and drank it all in very
closely: beautiful black, flat-topped head crown with bold red eye,
contrasting lovely red breast, and white rump-covert feathers prominently
fluffed out--a very handsome passage bird I presume. Anyway, it finally flew
off into a nearby low tree and then on down into the adjoining Johnson Creek
ravine, where I located it once again sitting across from me in the upper
canopy of a large tree. Fun...when I got home I checked out the BNA species
account and photos online and only wish I could have taken a close-up photo
of all it's beauty so close-up.



Bruce Moorhead

Port Angeles, WA

bruceb at olypen.com