Thursday, February 21, 2008

Raptors invade my work!

Well, a single raptor, and he was sitting outside the window right next to the building!

Here are some pics I got (way to go Delia, for remembering her camera!):


My ID is an adult Cooper's Hawk. Susan Gets Native -- what say you? And is that some recent blood/flesh on the beak? He sat out there for a while--maybe digesting?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's awesome! What a beautiful bird! And great photos!!!!

LauraHinNJ said...

Gosh - what gorgeous pics!

Mary said...

Delia, I'm so glad you remembered your camera! Wow. What a good close-up. The eye color looks like an immature to me but I'm totally, hopelessly useless with hawk IDs.

Good job!

Susan Gets Native said...

Good one, D!
Mary is half-right about the juvenile eye color. I can see the tiniest bit of yellow at the top of that awesomely fierce eye. That bird probably hatched in 2006.
And that IS a bit of food remaining on the beak.
Really great photos! You get a new camera or sumfin?
*going back to look at them again*

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Fantabulous fotos Delia! He looks way fluffed up.

dguzman said...

That bird was maybe ten feet from me, through the glass. It was soooo cool!

Mary--look at you, spotting that little yellow in the eyes--you're a pro! Thanks, Susan! This is the same Kodak Z712-IS that I had just gotten before Cape May. I'm just getting better at using it, I think! Plus I took about a hundred pics, so I was bound to get a couple good ones!

Lynne, he was way fluffy, because it was sooo freakin' cold (probably in the teens) yesterday.

KGMom said...

Delia---cool cool cool pics. Wow, so close. Love the look in his eye--not another step closer, human.

birdchick said...

Delia! What a great shot! That flat head looks like an adult Cooper's.

I'm not sure about age, they used to say that you could age them by eye color, but an article a few years ago said that wasn't a diagnostic aging tool.

I wonder if the bird hit the window and was recovering for a little bit? Accipiters love to chase birds into windows and sometimes they don't put the breaks on in time.

Fran said...

Oh my- Delia, what photos!!

dguzman said...

Birdchick--thanks for the "flat head" info; not being too into raptors, I didn't know that one. Hadn't thought about the window-crash theory--he was first in a small crabapple tree, then flew about 100 yards and landed on the ground.

KGmom--thank you, but you know--this guy just sat there, unfazed by people walking a few yards away (they didn't see him). I don't think he could even see me; the windows are reflective.

Matthew Hubbard said...

Good raptor work, dg. I haven't birded since LBJ was prezdint, but I would have guessed juvenile because of how fluffy the feathers are.

dguzman said...

Matty--I think he was fluffed up against the cold cold wind.