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A redbird and a 'sharpie'

By JIM NIGRO

This winter has seen a drop in the normal activity around our bird feeder. Juncos, chickadees, nuthatches and the like have been infrequent visitors. That's not surprising -- the mild winter has afforded them ample feeding opportunities afield. Despite the food abundance in the wild, the cardinals have shown up with regularity.

The sharp-shinned hawk, pictured above, must be enjoying the winter weather, as small birds make up a good part of its diet. I've seen that intense stare at close range once before. My first encounter with a "sharpie" took place while I sat in a tree stand. That autumn afternoon it flew in for a brief stop, perching a few feet away -- I assumed it was attracted to the turkey quill fletching on my arrows.  

The cardinal's coloration causes it stand out even on a dismal day or in a forest interior. Though pleasing to the eye, with bird-eating raptors in the vicinity it's akin to placing a target on its back. 

The sharp shinned hawk's long legs, short rounded wings and very long tail all come in handy for coursing through the woodlands at high speed in pursuit of its prey.

This cardinal has so far managed to stay off the sharpie's menu. Around our home, at the first sign of trouble small birds fly into a spiraea hedge or thick  grapevines in an adjacent woodlot.

While they are built for winged pursuit, the sharp-shinned hawk will also pounce on its quarry from a low perch, notably small mammals such as mice and voles. That may have been what he was up to before I arrived. In the above photo, he's unfolding his wings and a second later he was airborne, flying deeper into the woods.

Casey Spann

That is not a Sharp Shin. It's actually a Coopers Hawk. A Sharp Shins tail is square. As you can see this ones tail is rounded. A clear sign for a Coopers Hawk.

Feb 18, 2012, 4:44pm Permalink
JIM NIGRO

Casey, I looked at the long, rectangular tail and it seemed squared at the end. After reading your comment I checked some cooper & sharpie pics...... you're right, by comparison the sharp shin's tail looks like it was cut with a straight edge. Thanks and a tip of the hat!

Feb 18, 2012, 5:33pm Permalink
Ron C Welker

Jim, I live aprox a mile from you and have a cooper hawk visiting our bird feeder quite often and just wondered if it could be the same bird? The two can be dificcult to identify from a distance, The angle on the square tail is important as noted.
Nice pictures, keep up the good work.
Ron

Feb 19, 2012, 9:13am Permalink
JIM NIGRO

Thanks, Ron - No way of knowing if its the same hawk frequenting our feeder and yours. Claudia and I always appreciate your comments!

Feb 19, 2012, 3:56pm Permalink

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