Ornithologist?

[idnative1948]

Glanced out our back window this morning and had a very large bird plucking it's prey for breakfast. We spent over an hour watching it. Only thing we could find that it looked like would be a goshawk. Bad cell pic, but anybody have a guess?

 

[Bivy]

Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks will both commonly take up residence around bird feeders in developed areas (particularly in the winter months). Sharp-shinned are smaller (~dove size) while Cooper's are larger (~crow size). Cooper's are sometimes confused for goshawks, but goshawks seem to be dependent on dense, old-growth forest stands and much more likely to be found there than a backyard. That being said, raptor migrations could be occuring now...and during migrations odd birds show up in even odder places.

 

[Oak]

Looks like a goshawk to me. Very cool.

 

[Bivy]

Ha, after actually looking at the picture...I would have to agree with you Oak. That is a Northern goshawk head. It does appear to have the stripe through the eye! Very cool!

 

[idnative1948]

That is what we finally figured out. Thanks y'all! It most definitely dined on pigeon and must have taken the rest of it for dessert. When I went out to clean up the feathers the only piece I could find was the head.
But, yes very cool to see in a city setting.

 

[konasage]

What was for breakfast?

 

[Lawnboy]

They will take out your chickens as well. They are pretty effective hunters.

 

[mn taxidermist]

They are the biggest predator of our ruffed grouse here in Mn.

 

[TheTone]

Very cool, I spent a summer chasing them around in north Idaho, one of the most fun seasonal jobs I ever had.

 

[devon deer]

Looks exactly the same as the Goshawks we have in the UK.
Cheers
Richard

 

[Horn Seeker]

They are a sweet hawk... If you walk under their nests they can raise pretty good hell.

 

[muleybowhunter]

Same thing happened in my back yard last week. I believe this one is a Coopers Hawk from what I can tell. This was a Eurasian Dove that it took out and spent over an hour defeathering and eating before it flew off with it.