Today I saw a
little hawk, which I think was a juvenile of either the Sharp-shinned or
the Cooper's hawk. Either is possible, and they can be difficult to tell apart, though I hear the Cooper's is more common in the area.
It was warm brown, streaked face, slightly lighter on the eyebrow
(but not significantly), vertical brown streaks on the white breast,
subtle reddish on the cheeks and shoulders, yellow legs, long tail with
brown and darker brown bars (I counted 4 dark bars, approx even width to
lighter bars), and a thin creamy (light, but not white) tip of the
tail, which looked quite square to me. I didn't see much flight, but
wing beats seemed steady.
It perched both on a fence, a pile of paving bricks, and in
mid-branches of an evergreen tree, spending more time in the tree. It
seemed quick, active, and small, but definitely bigger than a
robin/mourning dove.
Common birds: cardinal (pair), grackle, starling, mourning dove, robin, downy woodpecker (pair), house sparrow
Overhead: gull
Spring visitors: junco
Heard: chickadee
