Upon returning home after Christmas, we spotted a large hawk sitting
on a stump next to our townhouse. My son was able to take several
shots with his brand-new camera (courtesy of Santa Claus, of course),
both while it was sitting and then after it flew and landed in a tree
over the parking lot. We commonly have Cooper's Hawks in the
neighborhood during winter, so that was our first ID of this bird.
However, after studying it a bit more and checking our books, we
aren't so sure. It seems to have some of the characteristics
associated with juvenile Northern Goshawk, especially size, blotchy
breast streaking, and a distinctive light supercilium. Unfortunately,
our views of the tail were not as good as one might hope for. The
heavy white spotting on the back might also suggest goshawk. We are
not raptor experts, so are not prepared to "call" it, but perhaps some
of you can help.
The photos are posted on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/29681035@N03/sets/72157623089163176/
. The stump measures about 18 inches across the top and the small
tree beside the bird has a diameter of just about 3 inches; both of
these reference points provide a rough bill-to-tail length for the
bird of about 20 inches.
The bird's flight was heavy and powerful as it winged past our car and
up into the tree.
Thanks for any input.
Dave Davis
Arlington
