Hiya John!! Great shots there, I did have a Cooper's Hawk that was stalking my backyard feeders some years back. It got to the point that I stopped feeding for a bit because I was finding too many circular piles of feathers and fluff on the grass. I also think it's a Coop but I would not argue with someone who does know.
Thanks Kevin!
Yeah, they are indeed predatory.
Its proximity to humans (this one) makes me think it's a Cooper's as well (literature suggests the Sharp-Shinned avoids human exposure, and this one was pretty close to a common area).
Other differences include skinny legs, square-tailed, and small head (Sharp-Shinned) ... whereas the Cooper's has a rounded tail and comparatively bigger head. (Literature suggests all these can vary and be subject to interpretation though
)
Would never argue with an expert but am grateful for any suggestions (may post other angles as time permits).
BTW I thought you were in Fla. when did you move?
Kevin in CT
I moved in 4/2014, one for a great career opportunity, another to be close to my elderly folks (dad turns 89 this year). Instead of being 2700 miles away, I am now 3 miles away, in case they need me.
Stayed on the down-low the first year I came back (settling-in, dealing with issues, dumping old gear, etc.).
Started re-building my gear in April and am now ready to rock
Planned to go to Havasu Falls a couple weeks ago, but couldn't make it out there
Am slated to go to Yosemite this weekend and hope to do some birding and get some nice North American frontier/mammal shots as well.
They provide a really nice Bird Checklist, so we'll see how it goes:
https://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/upload/yosebirdchecklist.pdfCheers.
