01-05-2024, 01:10 PM
Isn't it time we kickstart this for 2024?
I'd like to share a couple recent photos of Cooper's Hawks in the yard. Cooper's are among the three species of forest flying hawks that we can see here. Accipiter genus hawks include the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, the large Cooper's Hawk, and the much larger Goshawk. Not the high flying soaring hawks like our local Red-tailed, Accipiters have long tails which allow them to maneuver very fast through the trees to capture birds on the wing. Many of you who have bird feeders have seen Sharp-shinned and Cooper's stalk or capture birds in the yard. The magnificent Goshawks might also be seen but are more rare.
Last summer we had at least two Cooper's Hawks frequent the yard. The first was a local adult that we caught swooping at hummingbirds more than a few times. Hardly a morsel compared to a deer mouse that weighs 6 times as much as a 3.7 gram hummer. Later in summer, a juvenile Cooper's was seen often, and I got some decent photos of it on August 24th.
On Christmas morning, a near-adult Cooper's showed up at the farm outside Palisade. Two days later we watched as the bird drove a Gambel's Quail
into the dining room window 3 feet from us. The hawk caught it on the bounce and flew off with it.
Notice that the August juvenile has yellow eyes, and the older December bird has orange eyes. By March as full adults, both will have red eyes going forward, a pattern that is true of all US Accipiters. Also, by late fall, these birds begin a gradual molt to adult plumage. Officially and for data purposes, all young of the year, or hatch year birds are considered adults on January 1st.
So, mountain folk, what has everyone been seeing lately?
I'd like to share a couple recent photos of Cooper's Hawks in the yard. Cooper's are among the three species of forest flying hawks that we can see here. Accipiter genus hawks include the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, the large Cooper's Hawk, and the much larger Goshawk. Not the high flying soaring hawks like our local Red-tailed, Accipiters have long tails which allow them to maneuver very fast through the trees to capture birds on the wing. Many of you who have bird feeders have seen Sharp-shinned and Cooper's stalk or capture birds in the yard. The magnificent Goshawks might also be seen but are more rare.
Last summer we had at least two Cooper's Hawks frequent the yard. The first was a local adult that we caught swooping at hummingbirds more than a few times. Hardly a morsel compared to a deer mouse that weighs 6 times as much as a 3.7 gram hummer. Later in summer, a juvenile Cooper's was seen often, and I got some decent photos of it on August 24th.
On Christmas morning, a near-adult Cooper's showed up at the farm outside Palisade. Two days later we watched as the bird drove a Gambel's Quail
into the dining room window 3 feet from us. The hawk caught it on the bounce and flew off with it.
Notice that the August juvenile has yellow eyes, and the older December bird has orange eyes. By March as full adults, both will have red eyes going forward, a pattern that is true of all US Accipiters. Also, by late fall, these birds begin a gradual molt to adult plumage. Officially and for data purposes, all young of the year, or hatch year birds are considered adults on January 1st.
So, mountain folk, what has everyone been seeing lately?