I was on a bike ride late this afternoon when I spotted this Cooper's Hawk sitting in a tree down by the Lighthouse Park. Of course I wasn't carrying my camera on my bike. Praying that he would hang tight for a little while, I rode home, grabbed my camera and jumped in the car, hoping against hope that he would still be there when I arrived back at the Lighthouse. I was really pleased to see that he was still on his perch and I got a few shots before he flew. Cooper's are hard to distinguish from Sharp-shinned Hawks. The Cooper's Hawk is larger than a Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Cooper's tail is more rounded at the bottom. They prey on mid-sized birds like pigeons, robins and flickers. They also dine on the occasional reptile and small mammal. If the birds at your bird feeder suddenly disperse in a panic, it usually means a Cooper's Hawk has landed nearby.
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