Bird ID

[4FordFamily]

Red tailed hawks have that white patch, most are more white than the juvenile red tail above that one has a very thin patch. Your bird has some spotted plumage there.

Red shouldered is equally possible if their distribution overlaps, they’re just a hair larger than a Cooper’s. If the call fits I’d say you have your culprit.

If that hawk is a red tailed hawk is either aberrant in plumage, or not at all lol

 

[redfishbluefish]

We have ospreys here as well....surrounded by water on three sides....but they tend to nest closer to the water....I'm about half a mile away from the Raritan River (north), and maybe a mile from the South River (west)....and three/four miles from Raritan Bay (Ocean)(east).

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Sharpies and coopers can be very difficult to discern.

What I see as indicators in this photo are size, shape of head and shape of tail. All are consistent with a sharpie but none of them are absolutely reliable.

Size of a sharp shined is roughly the size of a cardinal. Sitting on the chainlink gives a reference that the size is correct. Of course, there is a lot of variance in size so it is not definitive.

Head shape. Photo looks like a flatter, shorter head consistent with sharpie. Of course, a still photo can be deceiving.

Tail is spread a bit so it doesn't look flat like a sharpies description reads, but if you've seen them both it looks more like a sharpie.

All three of these together say sharpie to me. I have both species on my property so I am familiar with them both.

https://www.audubon.org/news/a-beginners-guide-iding-coopers-and-sharp-shinned-hawks

What ever you decide it is, it's fun to watch them fly and hunt.so agile and graceful!

 

[MTBake]

Now your mission should be get a better pic!
You hunt your bird w/ camera, I should do same, and I keep passing an osprey on our trail that has been in same spot for a while now, I really should get a good shot of that guy too, ospreys have just started to come back in numbers around here.

I know regions will vary, and I don't know if sharp shinned are around here or not, but they do look pretty darn similar, other than size I guess.

We have lots of coopers around these parts though, those and red tails

I was kinda thinking the same thing about a better pic;)

Seeing a red tail hawk in a tree on my property got me interested in birds 20+ years ago. That same hawk flew off with 2 squirrels in its talons. Couldn't believe what I was watching at the time!

Saw my first osprey just last week in my area. Very cool to see!

 

[redfishbluefish]

He's got the squawk, the speckled chest, and I believe the size....here's where I'm at....red shouldered hawk.

 

[davocean]

Osprey were in terribly low numbers for a long time, I think still listed endangered in some states, but thankfully have come back in most areas in large numbers.
I'm close to the harbor here, so it's their natural habitat here, and awesome to see, especially since our high school mascot was a seahawk(Therefore I'm a seahawk, which is perfect for me since I've spent so much time in the air as well as in the water!)

 

[MTBake]

Very nice!

Edit:
Red shoulder hawk that is.

 

[jabberwock]

What did I win?!?!?!

 

[redfishbluefish]

What did I win?!?!?!

You win all the dead-bird feathers this guy leaves in my back yard. I don't know if it's the force of the kill that knocks the feathers out, or if he sits there and plucks them out, but it is real obvious when he has a kill.....a pile of feathers.

 

[jabberwock]

You win all the dead-bird feathers this guy leaves in my back yard. I don't know if it's the force of the kill that knocks the feathers out, or if he sits there and plucks them out, but it is real obvious when he has a kill.....a pile of feathers.

I just so happen to collect feathers... For real though. I have a lot of them. Probably some I should not have. The most recent was a spectacularly colored feather about 8 inches long from a bird that was trapped and died on my friends porch in Alaska. I am guessing it was a Kingfisher.

I collect skulls too.

 

[davocean]

You win all the dead-bird feathers this guy leaves in my back yard. I don't know if it's the force of the kill that knocks the feathers out, or if he sits there and plucks them out, but it is real obvious when he has a kill.....a pile of feathers.

Both, I once saw a hawk dive onto a dove in a tree, feathers pretty much explode everywhere on impact!

 

[redfishbluefish]

That's his primary diet that I've seen....morning doves. I don't know if they're easy catch or it's because they have more meat on the bone.

 

[jabberwock]

That's his primary diet that I've seen....morning doves. I don't know if they're easy catch or it's because they have more meat on the bone.

A dove on the wing is a real challenge. A dove on the ground or on a wire is soft and slow.

Hawks and Doves, Neil Young...

 

[User1]

Have to admit - this is one of the best threads of the day I've come across. You all rock :D

 

[redfishbluefish]

Admittedly, this was a great little diversion for me! Thank you all for participating in this fun little diversion. I'll continue to verify that we have a Red Shouldered Hawk....I'm 90 percent sure.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

That's his primary diet that I've seen....morning doves. I don't know if they're easy catch or it's because they have more meat on the bone.

Suggesting it is genus Accipiter rather than Buteo.

Doves are very difficult to catch and though members of each genus will take birds, Accipiters are bird specialists. They frequent feeders and have long sleek bodies and proportionally long tails giving them excellent agility. Main diet is birds.

Buteos, such as red shoulder, have broader heavier features and excel at soaring. They float above the land searching for small mammals, their main diet.