Subject: [Tweeters] Hawk close up and personal - ID help?
Date: Mar 14 12:46:41 2010
From: Trileigh Tucker - tri at seattleu.edu


Hello Tweets,

When I came back home this morning after birding in Lincoln Park (West
Seattle), I heard a hummingbird chittering, so I looked up, hoping to spot a
nest. I was quite surprised and thoroughly delighted to find instead a hawk
perched low in a tree that arches over my driveway almost to my front door
-- about 2' from my upstairs bedroom window.

Of course, now I couldn't come in the front door and go up to the window,
since that would undoubtedly scare the hawk away. So I circled around my
house, knocking on windows and then rattling the back door to try to get my
partner's attention so I could sneak in the back door and go upstairs to the
bedroom window. The cats were intrigued, but no partner appeared.

Finally I realized he was in the shower, so I gave up trying to get inside
for a while and snuck around the back deck for photos. Finally my partner
saw me and opened the back door. You can see the resulting closeups and some
full-profile shots at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trileigh/4430222927/ and beyond.

I'm thinking this is a Cooper's rather than a Sharpie because of the head
side relative to the body, but would love either confirmation or
disconfirmation of that initial assessment. Thanks!

Good birding to you,
Trileigh

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Trileigh Tucker
Lincoln Park, West Seattle