Morning Bird Pic

[sleigh]

I didn't take this one, though I wish I been there to do so. This was taken by an aide at my mother's apartment. Mom has a bird feeder on the balcony of her apartment, mostly patronized by finches and swallows. However, the aide saw this bird perched on the railing, and had to take a picture on her phone, shooting through glass and a screen against a bright background. I've cleaned it up as best I can.

My "Birdsnap" app says this is a peregrine falcon... But I agree with kk1raven that this is probably a cooper's hawk.

Comments

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

Your Birdsnap app has it wrong. That's definitely not a Peregrine Falcon. It is an immature accipiter - either a Sharp-shinned Hawk or a Cooper's Hawk. I'd call it a Cooper's Hawk but telling them apart from a single photo isn't always easy.

Accipiters eat small birds and this one was probably looking for a meal at your mom's bird feeder.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I'm inclined to agree with you. The picture (as you can see) is rather fuzzy and indistinct, but the tail with those black bands doesn't look like a peregrine's tail. The picture of an immature Cooper's Hawk in my "Birds of Ohio" field guide looks pretty damn close.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

First reaction: "How very cool!"

Second reaction: "Oh no! He's after the songbirds!"

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

That's pretty neat.

K.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

trying to hit up the fly through for a snack...

I have a red tailed hawk and a coopers hawk that swoop through my yard on a regular basis.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Maybe he snagged a house sparrow. :-)

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

'Tis. Wish I'd actually *seen* the bird.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Yep. Saw the birds and swooped in, I suspect.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I've told the hawks in my neighborhood that they can have all the house sparrows and pigeons they want as long as they leave the cardinals alone.