Here’s another one from this week’s trip to Florida. I’m not great with hawk identification so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this to be a juvenile Cooper’s hawk. With just a headshot, you can’t see the banding on the tail, shape of tail feathers and chest pattern, all of which suggest Cooper’s. I also saw many other hawks while hiking through the swamp, including several other (alleged) species, so I’ll post a few of them soon. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
I love this photo, Sean! You may well be right about this being a juvenile Cooper’s hawk especially given your recollection of its feather details not appearing in this delightful image. Nice capture!
I defer to Tony as I am no expert hawk spotter. Oh, I can spot hawks okay, it’s just that unless the bird is a northern harrier hawk, osprey, white-tailed kite or red-tailed hawk (the tail feathers had better be observable) I’m fairly feeble at identification. Thanks to Tony!
Thanks Tony, appreciate the correction. I get confused trying to distinguish one hawk from another, especially in a location where it could be any of them.
Red shouldered hawks visit my house in SW Florida regularly, sometimes perching on the corner of our lanai. They are beautiful and patient hunters. This close-up is fabulous!
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Here’s another one from this week’s trip to Florida. I’m not great with hawk identification so please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this to be a juvenile Cooper’s hawk. With just a headshot, you can’t see the banding on the tail, shape of tail feathers and chest pattern, all of which suggest Cooper’s. I also saw many other hawks while hiking through the swamp, including several other (alleged) species, so I’ll post a few of them soon. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
I love this photo, Sean! You may well be right about this being a juvenile Cooper’s hawk especially given your recollection of its feather details not appearing in this delightful image. Nice capture!
Thanks Sue. As Tony pointed out below, I got this one wrong. Actually a red-shouldered hawk.
I defer to Tony as I am no expert hawk spotter. Oh, I can spot hawks okay, it’s just that unless the bird is a northern harrier hawk, osprey, white-tailed kite or red-tailed hawk (the tail feathers had better be observable) I’m fairly feeble at identification. Thanks to Tony!
Stunning!
Meh. Take a picture of the hawk’s owner, DB Cooper, and successfully identify him and then i’ll be impressed.
Awesome! Love the diagonals, the soft foreground branch, and the down-the-barrel stare!
Thanks Clark. It was actually quite dark (pre sunrise) so getting that interesting light.
What a great shot! I love the way he’s staring into the camera and the perfect foreground bokeh.
Thanks Honora, I was directly below this guy.
Beautiful photo. Thanks for sharing your photos.
Thank you Larry.
Fantastic photo.
The darkish eyes and substantial dark malar patch rule out all juvenile accipiters. This is a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk.
Thanks Tony, appreciate the correction. I get confused trying to distinguish one hawk from another, especially in a location where it could be any of them.
Red shouldered hawks visit my house in SW Florida regularly, sometimes perching on the corner of our lanai. They are beautiful and patient hunters. This close-up is fabulous!
Thanks Laura. I got a few more shots of these guys so next time I’ll know red-shouldered and not Cooper’s.