Fri
Feb 2 2007
09:36 am
Bonus Friday Mystery Bird Blogging
By: R. Neal

Help me identify the birds in the (not very good) photos after the jump. (Also taken at Kyker Bottoms.)

We actually saw three of them, I believe. The one in flight in the first series is, I think, one of the two in the tree. A third one was hanging around the tree and flew off over the treeline.

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fletch's picture

I believe they are

Submitted by fletch on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 10:35am.

I believe they are red-shouldered hawks. Of course I could have mis-identified on my site tho. Hey Les, is mis-identified a word?
Nice shots.

Les Jones's picture

Oh, anything is a word if

Submitted by Les Jones on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 12:27pm.

Oh, anything is a word if you make it one. It's like declaring a variable on the fly. :-)

www.lesjones.com

Eleanor A's picture

Looks like a

Submitted by Eleanor A on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 10:38am.

Looks like a sharpie...here's some tips on telling the difference between sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks:

(link...)

Was it too big to be a sharp-shinned? Might be a broad-winged.

[edit: sweetie, red-shouldered hawks have a white band right on the tip of their tails. FYI.]

rikki's picture

tough one

Submitted by rikki on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 2:15pm.

This time of year broad-winged hawks should be in South America just starting to dream of migration. Also, the tail feathers look pretty worn. Without good size cues or wingbeats, it's a tough call. It does look like an accipiter, which would rule out a red-shouldered hawk, but I'm not confident enough to go that far.

I love that curl on the wingtip in one of the shots.

R. Neal's picture

Well, if you're stumped I

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 2:24pm.

Well, if you're stumped I guess we'll never know.

The colors aren't helpful. It was a drab dreary day and these were taken from a long way off.

On size, they were bigger than a dove but smaller than a big crow.

There was a redtail hawk in the vicinity, and these birds were smaller.

I take it these aren't falcons of some kind?

redmondkr's picture

I haven't a clue as to the

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 3:03pm.

I haven't a clue as to the identities, but running the photos through Photoshop CS and applying the "shadows and highlights" may give you a bit better view for ID purposes.

clematis 

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rikki's picture

Well, if you're stumped I

Submitted by rikki on Fri, 2007/02/02 - 3:10pm.

Well, if you're stumped I guess we'll never know.

Send the pictures to KTOS and you'll probably get an ID. Your size description suggests Cooper's hawk and further rules out red-shouldered, which is just a bit smaller than a red-tail and bigger than a crow.

Falcons have narrow, pointed wings rather than the broad, fingered wings of hawks. The only common falcon around here is the kestrel, with peregrines and merlins making occasional appearances.

R. Neal's picture

UPDATE: TWRA Ornithologist

Submitted by R. Neal on Sun, 2007/02/04 - 8:38am.

UPDATE: TWRA Ornithologist Scott Somershoe says:

They look like Red-shouldered hawks to me. I can't quite tell on the dark in flight picts, but they have the reddish tinge to the belly of the picts with 2 birds.

Coopers hawks and sharp-shinned hawks are rarely seen together aggressively as these 2 are, while red-shouldereds are commonly seen together, raising heck, making noise.

rikki's picture

Coopers hawks and

Submitted by rikki on Sun, 2007/02/04 - 3:39pm.

Coopers hawks and sharp-shinned hawks are rarely seen together aggressively as these 2 are, while red-shouldereds are commonly seen together, raising heck, making noise.

Good point.

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