Cooper’s Hawk on the Stalk

 

A stranger came to town yesterday. This Cooper’s Hawk made a rather noisy appearance late in the afternoon as I was sitting on the back porch. 

I looked up after hearing a noise above me in a nearby tree. The hawk appeared to slam into the tree. It may have been after a squirrel or small bird up there. 

It then proceeded to perch on a branch for several minutes. I was able to take a number of photographs from my Adirondack chair. 

I was lucky to have my Canon DSLR at hand. I was back there reading but also listening for the Belted Kingfisher that I’ve heard for weeks around the pond a short distance away. 

Cooper's Hawk "Lifer"- Right in My Backyard!

On Sunday, Alesia alerted me to a hawk in our backyard, checking out the busy feeders, no doubt. I grabbed my camera and was able to take several photos through a window before the hawk flew away. 

Initially, I thought this was a Red-shouldered Hawk. But after posting this picture on Facebook, including the site for the Carolinas Nature Photographers Association (CNPA), a couple fellow birders said it may be a Cooper's Hawk instead of a Red-shouldered.  My friend and neighbor Richard pointed out the long tail, which is distinctive to the Cooper I now know.  

So I went to my go-to source for such questions: whatbird.com's Bird Identification Forum.

Nice to have another "lifer" bird- especially in my own backyard. And thanks to the birding community for the identification assist!