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20th January 2013, 10:36 PM
#1
Please identify this raptor
I don't shoot birds and I know less than nothing about raptors. Even so, when one plops down on a branch in my backyard, even I know enough to get out my 300mm lens (my longest glass).
Please identify it at least as a hawk, falcon, or whatever even if it's not possible to be more specific. I wonder if it helps to know that it's flying around northern Virginia, USA. Thanks in advance!
Last edited by Mike Buckley; 20th January 2013 at 11:04 PM.
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20th January 2013, 10:46 PM
#2
Re: Please identify this raptor
Looks to be a cooper's hawk from what I can see, Mike.
Six species of hawks nest in Virginia: red-tailed, red-shouldered, broad-winged, Cooper's, sharp-shinned, and the Northern harrier. The red-tailed hawk is perhaps the one with which most people are familiar, as it is commonly seen perched along roads and interstate highways, especially during the winter months. Red-tailed along with red-shouldered and broad-winged, are known as buteo hawks. Buteos typically soar in high circles and have long, broad wings and rounded, fan-like tails. Broad-winged hawks, more commonly seen in the western Piedmont and mountains, are famous and unique among raptors for migrating in large groups known as kettles, with numbers often recorded in the thousands.
Snipet copied from here, Mike. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/birds/raptors/
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20th January 2013, 10:58 PM
#3
Re: Please identify this raptor
Thanks, Paul! Hopefully others can confirm your thinking.
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