Posted by Bill Maile on August 13, 2011 at 1:19 PM
OK, this may be the worst photo I've posted here (maybe not!!) but at least I didn't take it. My brother snapped this quickly while pulling out of his driveway in southern CT and asked me. Well, I first thought hawk, but after cropping it started thinking owl family as the face and eyes (I think) and squatty body led me to think that. I've checked back and forth on the Cornell Lab site, but thought I'd get your expert opinions. Thanks!!
bill
Posted by Lon Overacker on August 13, 2011 at 3:20 PM
I'm no birdman Bill, but I pretty darn certain it's a hawk. Either red tail or red shouldered? Pretty odd to see this guy so low - usually they'll take a higher perch in a suburban area like that. Maybe a bird's nest nearby?
Lon
Posted by Richard Ditch on August 13, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Red-tailed Hawk IMO.
Posted by Bill Maile on August 14, 2011 at 8:41 AM
Thanks Lon & Richard, I passed on the info and told him to give the D80 he's got sitting around the house to one of his kids, so they might get a decent photo at least. ;)
Had to be a weird sight knowing their neighborhood!
Posted by Nick Baldwin on August 14, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Both the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks are frequent in urban neighborhoods and can be readily seen perched on almost everything, from power lines to clotheslines to yard furniture.
Since both feed on a multitude of prey, the largest being squirrels/rabbits (or unfortunately a small kitten-though rarely)-to birds of all species, to snakes, lizards, to insects in the grass, they will perch wherever it is convenient to watch.
I actually saw one land on the street to inspect the carcass of a just hit squirrel.
And once captured/rescued a lovely red-tailed that was knocked unconcious by the "cowcatcher" of the locomotive I was in, when he attempted to get a rabbit that was flushed from his 'beside the track' hiding place. I took the raptor home and he recovered, and was released back into the wild within a couple of months!
Discussion
4 repliesbill
Lon
Had to be a weird sight knowing their neighborhood!
Since both feed on a multitude of prey, the largest being squirrels/rabbits (or unfortunately a small kitten-though rarely)-to birds of all species, to snakes, lizards, to insects in the grass, they will perch wherever it is convenient to watch.
I actually saw one land on the street to inspect the carcass of a just hit squirrel.
And once captured/rescued a lovely red-tailed that was knocked unconcious by the "cowcatcher" of the locomotive I was in, when he attempted to get a rabbit that was flushed from his 'beside the track' hiding place. I took the raptor home and he recovered, and was released back into the wild within a couple of months!