Wasn't there?recent news about a Merlin's?nest in?the North Seattle?area????
Another small raptor which comes?is mind is the kestrel.?

Peterson publishes a very good field guide on raptors.
http://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Field-Guide-America-Guides/dp/0395936152
Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA.


________________________________

From: Patricia Oates <pamoates at clearwire.net>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Thu, August 12, 2010 7:35:28 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] Need help Identifying a raptor

I need help with an attempt to ID a raptor that briefly visited my yard.?
Unfortunately I was unable to capture a photo of it.? It didn?t match the
descriptions of any of the adult raptors in the area so I?m thinking it might be
a juvenile?? I can?t find much on juvenile raptor descriptions.? I?ve been
trying for two weeks to ID it without any luck.? I might not have enough info
since I couldn?t see the head, (only the neck down)?but thought I?d give it a
try.
?
It was seen in NE Seattle, north of Northgate on July 31st when it chased a bird
into my front yard (didn?t catch it, darn it.? It might have stayed still long
enough for me to have gotten a photo).
?
It was approximately the size of a crow.
The chest was a solid creamy buff/ very light brown with no streaking or bars.
Wings were bluish grey.
The underneath tail feathers were cream/white with no bars but what looked like
black dots at the end of the tail feathers.
?
It hunted by chasing smaller birds in the sky.? It was not very big.? In fact I
didn?t realize it was a raptor hunting at first, it was so small compared to the
Perigrine and Eagles.? I had thought it was a territorial bird until it landed
in my tree and I saw the talons.
?
According to the thin branch at the top of my birch that it sat on, it was a
very light bird.

I've seen adult Red Hawks, a Perigrine (although not for many years), and
juvenile Bald Eagles in my area.

I believe this bird's normal area is west of me.? It chased the bird from West
to East and after it rested it took off back West.
?
People have suggested a cooper?s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk but it didn?t have
any banding on the tail feathers.? Do the juveniles still have banding?
?
Does anyone have any ideas as to what visited my yard?