Cooper's Hawk 2
Accipiter cooperii		Nov. 16, 2010
 


Occasionally I'm annoyed by the first photos I've put on my set of Pennsylvania bird pages, and so I thought it was time to replace my original Cooper's hawk page. After I selected the new photos, I realized that I had already replaced the earlier ones. Drat: Another senior moment. Anyway, I feel that today's photos are good enough to increase my online Cooper's collection.

To recap: A Cooper's hawk is a medium-size accipiter. "Accipiters are short-winged, long-tailed, forest-dwelling raptors" (from Hawks: Peterson Field Guides, by William S. Clark and Brian K. Wheeler).

A few days ago I encountered the following immature Cooper's hawk while walking in the game land. We were both surprised, but fortunately the hawk lingered long enough for me to take several photos of her (and I assume the hawk is a her because she was so large).
 

Immature Cooper's hawk
 
  The Cooper's is an immature because her breast is speckled. Incidentally, note that she removing one foot from her feathers to prepare to take off. I was to be allowed only a mimimum number of photos.
 
Immature Cooper's hawk
 
  I photographed the following Cooper's hawk in October. Note the far more detailed pattern on the breast.
 
Cooper's hawk overhead
 

Today final photo is from a Cooper's hawk who is somewhere around maturity; the breast has a pattern but not as detailed as the preceding photo. Of course, I could be wrong about that (such as, perhaps the hawk will never have as detailed a pattern).
 
Cooper's hawk by Jo Hayes Vista
 

Photo note: I used a Pentax K20D, with the Sigma 150-500mm lens, for the first two photos (November 2010), and the SMC- 1000mm lens, for the final two photos (October 2010).


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