Saturday, January 17, 2009

New Backyard Bird, a Red-shouldered Hawk

As Rick (the Spotter) walked into the kitchen this morning, what did he see? A hawk staring at him through the kitchen door window! He immediately grabbed the camera and snapped off a quick shot.


Then he had Matty open the door slowly so he could photograph him using the monopod.


Let’s zoom in a little bit. Isn’t he a gorgeous, stocky bird? His colorful chest and bold black and white bars on his tail are very striking.



As he was looking over his new territory, a young Cooper’s Hawk flew up and perched in the same tree. The Spotter scores a twofer! Unfortunately, the Cooper’s Hawk was a bit skittish, so Rick had to retreat back inside to photograph him. Our greasy, grimy gopher gut windows didn’t allow for a crisp shot, but it works for me!

A juvenile Cooper's Hawk perches near the Red-shouldered Hawk.

2 comments:

  1. I'm afraid I'm pretty weak in identifying raptors, too, so I can't really help you with this one. But the photos are spectacular. I'm sure someone out there will be able to help you with the ID.

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  2. Thanks, Heather! I've sent emails out to a few of my really birdy friends, so hopefully someone will be able to confirm the hawk.

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