After our renewed interest in hawk watch (at least via sound), we have had several more audio observations of them - including one that sounded like at least two possibly three birds calling. So we have been wondering if we would catch another glimpse.
Today, we had this wonderful view of a hawk behind our house. My best assessment is that it is probably a young broad-winged hawk and quite possibly the offspring of the original pair we saw early in the spring.
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| It has adult tail patterning, but its head markings suggest juvenile I think |
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| It was a magnificent view in any case. |
I showed these pictures to a colleague who's a licensed falconer, and he thinks it might be a young Cooper's hawk, and that its eyes will change to red in adulthood. He's going to bring in a guide book to see if he can say for sure what it is.
ReplyDeleteInteresting - making me second-guess all my identifications. I'm certainly willing to be corrected, although I don't think there is any doubt about the sound ID we made.
DeleteAfter looking at his guide book, he says "Sharp shinned hawk 100%". Breeding and/or year-round habitats do cover coastal Maine.
DeleteYes - we definitely have sharpies here. A contrary opinion was offered (with reasoning) by a local expert here.
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