xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Lots of us are lucky enough to live in beautiful country and I've seen some great threads from them. Well, I live in the middle of an urban city. Of course we have wildlife. I feed the local House Sparrow and Mourning Dove population by throwing seed out on the ground every morning. I have during this time a year 30 or so Doves waiting for me on the power lines in the morning and dozens of Sparrows. My patio is covered and over the fence there is a meyer lemon tree they hide in so the birds have a very quick get away from the resident predatory birds. This is one of my semi-regular visitors- she has nevery caught anyone to my knowledge and is usually quite irritated by it (my phone pics suck but this is what I have in the moment and they are quick shots thru my slider door)! The 3rd pic is a prior visit but the first 2 are from last week, she was telling me how she felt about things and was filing a complaint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Cool! It looks to be an immature Northern Goshawk. What city, if I may ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) Sacramento @Fish Folk Edited January 18, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 On 1/17/2022 at 11:25 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: Sacramento @Fish Folk Working on this . . . could be wrong. It's definitely some accipiter. Maybe not catching its prey yet because it is still young. Or perhaps it's been somehow displaced. According to this map, a Northern Goshawk would be very rare in the city proper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 I'm not positive what she might be @Fish Folk not quite like the goshawk you've pointed out. Pretty sure she's a hawk though. She and the older pic (pretty sure the older pic is an adult) are more dingy colored. Super bright yellow legs and a striped tail. Nothing super high contrast in color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 I have not seen them catch anyone in my near decade where I am @Fish Folk. I think the covered patio and the trees feet away help big time. Once after a failed catch they hopped down onto a pot that has a ceramic bunny in it. And it flew off irritated then as well This is the offending bunny 😄 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 In the city nearest where we live, there is this one bird that definitely gets it's prey... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Hmm . . .back to your bird . . . tell me what you think about the possible I.D. of GRAY HAWK (buteo plagiatus)? Here are a bunch of photos of different ones... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 That's a good possibility @Fish Folk. I dug into my photos here is a visit from 2018. It could be a Gray, what do you think? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 Short google video of it from my chair and through my giant cat tree haha) https://photos.app.goo.gl/t7MJq6VhLXSksbrU9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 I’m thinking you’ve got some Cooper’s Hawks now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 Oh gosh! Lol Now I really don't know 😄 @Fish Folk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) Cooper’s makes the most sense, given their common range. Adult Cooper’s Hawks match your 2018 photo well… And immature Cooper’s look more like your recent shots… Edited January 18, 2022 by Fish Folk 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) Well just based on that it's a high probability @Fish Folk They are rather common around here and I see them on the tops of streetlights pretty often. I live in an older part of the city so the house lots are bigger, there's about a half acre behind me, I'm sure they get somebody from time to time but not from my patio. Thanks for helping to ID, you are likely right about it being a Cooper I just feel like mine aren't quite as pretty as those pictures. I guess that's what the poor things get for living in a city! Edited January 18, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) On 1/17/2022 at 10:33 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: I'm not positive what she might be @Fish Folk not quite like the goshawk you've pointed out. Pretty sure she's a hawk though. She and the older pic (pretty sure the older pic is an adult) are more dingy colored. Super bright yellow legs and a striped tail. Nothing super high contrast in color. Also look up a sharp-shinned hawk and see if that fits. Edited January 18, 2022 by Odd Duck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Cooper’s and sharp-shinned are very difficult to tell apart. They have similar markings, very heavily over lapping ranges, and over lapping sizes. The Cooper’s is usually larger, but they are nearly identical in markings and colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Here’s a link that briefly overviews the 9 types of hawk most commonly found in CA. I’m still leaning towards Cooper’s Hawk for yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Also, I totally agree with @Odd Duck that Coop’s and Sharpies are very, very similar. Here’s an excellent guide from Audubon Society to distinguishing between them. Note especially size (Coop’s = Crow size; Sharpie’s = Jay size), and also the sound of their call. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Hmm… there’s this to consider too… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Ah… my son, the avid birder, is awake. He weighs in: The recent photo(s) appear to be of an immature Sharp-shinned hawk. But the photo from 2018 appears to be an adult Cooper’s Hawk. So… maybe different species… 😅 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Ugh! Now my son watches the video… says it’s a Cooper’s! 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) Are the sharp-shinned hawks the very small species? We once had a very, very small hawk (like maybe a a jay or a crow, if that) show up in our driveway, once. If it's a bigger species I'd lean Cooper's. Edited January 18, 2022 by laritheloud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 On 1/18/2022 at 9:27 AM, laritheloud said: Are the sharp-shinned hawks the very small species? We once had a very, very small hawk (like maybe a a jay or a crow, if that) show up in our driveway, once. If it's a bigger species I'd lean Cooper's. In general terms, yes: Sharpies are smaller than Coop’s. BUT! In these Hawk species, the FEMALES are much larger than the males. So a small male Coop’s vs. a large female Sharpie throws it up in the air a bit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 You know there are more gentle predators out there: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) On 1/17/2022 at 10:07 PM, Odd Duck said: Also look up a sharp-shinned hawk and see if that fits. I was going to guess that too, just because it’s quite a bit more common at PNW backyard feeders, but I agree, it could be a Coopers. Edited January 18, 2022 by Patrick_G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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