bird in my yard...what kind?

[Elaine]

I am not a bird photographer and my longest lens length is 210, so this is not meant to show off a great bird pic...I'm just wondering if someone can tell me what kind of bird this is? It sat on my fence for a long time this morning, and we've been seeing a couple of them flying around. I'm guessing it's some sort of hawk??


http://e-heasley.smugmug.com/photos/179462225-L.jpg



http://e-heasley.smugmug.com/photos/179462958-L.jpg

[Maestro]

From the tail markings and the size, you might have yourself a male merlin which is actually a type of falcon. I'm not sure though because I don't know where you live. I'll see what others have to say.

Edit: Noticed your location is Oregon. As long as you're not on the coast, the merlin ID would fit, but again, I am not 100% so I will see if others chime in. In the meantime, google Merlin Falcon and see if the pics look like your bird.

[Elaine]

Thanks for the info! I'll look it up!

Here's another shot showing some markings on the underside (as well as showing what exactly he thought of our yard!)

http://e-heasley.smugmug.com/photos/179463854-L.jpg

[Shasoc]

Or it could be a Sharp-shinned Hawk. :scratch

[traunerk]

i'm no expert, but seeing a sharpie so close is pretty cool...

Regards...Keith

[kdog]

I agree that it's a Sharp Shinned hawk. Is there a bird feeder nearby? They love to hang around bird feeders and pick off the occassional small bird. Nice captures, they're a beautiful bird.

Cheers
-joel

[dbaker1221]

good captures:thumb

[Maestro]

Yep, I am going back on my original guess. The others are correct. It's a juvenile sharp-shinned or juvenile Cooper's. The only difference being the broadness of the brown streaking on the chest at this time of development. If it has really skinny legs, it's definitely a Sharp-shinned. The Cooper's have sturdier legs and are a tad bigger.

[Elaine]

Thanks, everyone! I'm going to keep a watch out for these now!