Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) in Early Morning Light
Winter (12F/-11C), Rocky Mountain Front Range, Colorado.
I heard high-pitched alarm calls outside our home and went to the window to see perhaps why. A Sharp-Shinned Hawk was perched ~10 feet away! It remained for a minute before it flew away.
Each time I see this type of bird I go through the process of trying to differentiate a Sharp-Shinned Hawk from a Cooper's Hawk. Today, based on its square, notched, and long tail, blue-gray feathers above, red-orange bars on its breast, a rounder head with no well-defined cap, and short, rounded wings, I concluded it was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk.
Here is a helpful ID guide: feederwatch.org/learn/tricky-bird-ids/coopers-hawk-and-sh...
Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) in Early Morning Light
Winter (12F/-11C), Rocky Mountain Front Range, Colorado.
I heard high-pitched alarm calls outside our home and went to the window to see perhaps why. A Sharp-Shinned Hawk was perched ~10 feet away! It remained for a minute before it flew away.
Each time I see this type of bird I go through the process of trying to differentiate a Sharp-Shinned Hawk from a Cooper's Hawk. Today, based on its square, notched, and long tail, blue-gray feathers above, red-orange bars on its breast, a rounder head with no well-defined cap, and short, rounded wings, I concluded it was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk.
Here is a helpful ID guide: feederwatch.org/learn/tricky-bird-ids/coopers-hawk-and-sh...