Hi Annette. Nice to hear from you and thanks for commenting but I respectfully disagree with you. on the ID. I thought Coopers or Sharpshinned but the size of the bird and the more rounded tail end tells me Coopers. A juvenile mind you as the grey has not yet creeped into the back. I base this on Peterson's guide as well as a couple of friends.. I know the Birds of Ontario guide does show a Redtail drawing that resembles this bird a bit but this hawk did not have a white breast or rufous tail. I am still open for comments and I am now considering openning it up for debate on a forum I participate in. I will update if convinced otherwise.
PS I moved your comment ( below) into this message as for some reason its way down the page.
Fabulous picture of the hawk, but I question the identification as being the cooper's,the markings on the chest and underside are very different from those shown in my fieldbook. I wonder if it may be a young redtailed hawk. Love your site and access it very frequently......we met at Petri Island in May, and our birdwatching paths have crossed twice since then. Annette Rouse
annette rouse
18-Oct-2006 18:08
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Fabulous picture of the hawk, but I question the identification as being the cooper's,the markings on the chest and underside are very different from those shown in my fieldbook. I wonder if it may be a young redtailed hawk. Love your site and access it very frequently......we met at Petri Island in May, and our birdwatching paths have crossed twice since then. Annette Rouse
