Hawks! (pics)

[jonny_redhorse]

Being rather new at hawk Identification and there seems to be a large color phase factor in IDing, not entirely sure what kind of hawk I have here...I think it's a coopers hawk and it does resemble the image in my audubon field guide...lot of variables though ...I was about to snap a few images of a grouse on a favorite dumming log when I heard 2 of these hawks about 50' away in the trees(no wonder the grouse was "froze stiff" and wasn't drumming! )...they leaped from branch to branch about 35 yards away and I managed a few digiscoped captures before flying off ...love the red eyes on this hawk!

[Steve Foss]

Jonny, very tough to tell between Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks. There's a size differential but also some size variation within each species. The only definitive field mark I can see is the tip of the tail in the first shot, and since the Cooper's is rounded and the sharp-shinned squared or notched, I'm going to lean in the direction of a Cooper's.

Still, not sure, tough to tell.

[finnbay]

Really like that second one, jonny!

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks Steve and Ken!....after looking in the field guide,they certainly are quite similar!...really look amazingly the same!...this one had a high pitched "squeal" between other squeaks and chirps....was nice to get a few images before it flew off!

[Steve Foss]

You certainly did pick one of the toughest ID challenges in all of hawkdom.