Hawk is the common name for a medium sized bird of prey. We frequently see them flying overhead scanning the fields for food. There are times when they will swoop into the garden in hopes of capturing a small songbird.
Hawks are accipiters belonging to the subfamily of Accipitrine. Accepters are true hawks and have small heads, rounded wings long tails. They are woodland birds that hunt by suddenly dashing from a concealed spot.
Hawks will sit in the back trees where they have a good view of neighbouring gardens just waiting for the opportune moment to swoop.
Even on a foggy day their shape and outline let you know it is a hawk. They are said to have vision several times as sharp as humans and can pick out prey from a great height.
Here is the adult hawk perched on a bit of a foggy day but the colours on its chest are noticeable.
I captured a view of the back and tail in this photo.
One year a brave crow got up close to the juvenile hawk and it appeared to be having a conversation.
Luckily we found a feather (21 cm x 5 cm) on one of the walks up the back hill. Perhaps it is a hawk feather. This excerpt is from the Peterson Field Guide for Eastern Birds, which is a well thumbed book in our house.
Perhaps you can help identify it as a Sharp shinned hawk or a Coopers Hawk. They both seem very similar, and not having seen them both at the same time it is hard to determine which is which. The Coopers hawk is s bit bigger than the Sharp shinned hawk.
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