Scott Bremner spotted a Cooper’s Hawk in Wallingford this week and sent us a photo. The photo to the right is by Nathan Hamm (taken at Montlake in 2006), but it’s a nice big close-up so you’ll be able to spot it if you see it in your backyard.
AllAboutBirds.org notes that both the Cooper’s Hawk and its look-alike, the Sharp-shinned hawk (which Nathan allows the photo at right could be) “are sometimes unwanted guests at bird feeders, looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds).”
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There used to be a hawk or two at Wallingford Playfield. Is that where Scott Bremner saw one?
This looks like the exact same hawk that was spotted at my school on Interlake Ave., between 35th and 36th. We have rabbits and hens and I thought that maybe it was looking for a quick meal.
Speaking of meals ~ I watched an amazing attack: two bald eagles over Green Lake today! They went it for the kill, chasing what looked like a young seagull and periodically catching it. Then it would get away and they’d chase again, until one of the eagles finally got it and dragged it through the water, presumably to kill it, as it couldn’t take flight until it had it’s dinner under control. I felt like I was on a safari.
I saw a hawk very like this admiring the chickens my neighbors own on Bagley near 45th. The chicks were very upset.
I had this hawk in my back yard. First he sat on a metal trellis I have and when I went out he moved onto a lower branch in my pine. He sat there and watched me for a long time. I got a picture but nothing as clear as the one on the site. Gorgeous bird.
Great photo! Just guessing, but I bet he’s a sharp-shinned, just because they’re so much more common in the city. Cooper’s are about 5″ longer. But you’re totally right — they are eating at your feeders, but not the seeds. I usually notice I’ve got a hawk around because of the absolute lack of bird-sounds.
The Woodlawn crow tribe puts out an APB whenever this tough, sleek flyer shows up, then mounts a coordinated aerial pursuit and surveillance.
Very nice photo! And I’m another of those people who can’t tell a Cooper’s from a Sharp-Shinned hawk. It comes down to their size (as Janey points out); and from a distance, it’s tough to figure out whether it’s 5″ plus or 5″ minus.
There are a good number of Sharp-Shinned and Cooper’s hawks in the North Seattle area, so it’s unlikely all these sightings recounted above are the same hawk.
With the pigeons as populace as they are, I’m surprised we don’t have more raptor activity around here (particularly around the QFC).
The chickens can’t fly away.
My birdfeeders on 43rd and Sunnyside were attracting pigeons, and one of these bad boys showed up. I never saw him make a move on the pigeons, but he sure did a lot of watching from the neighbor’s roof.
I also have a cooper’s hawk I knew it wasn’t a falcon but I was unsure until I found this page. I live in the heart of greenwood. I have six bird feeders and alot of pegions Also male house finches gold finches, and all sorts of birds. Well one day I came home and found feathers all over my back yard and I thought to my-self must have been a cat. Two weeks later I was sitting in my back yard when out of know where this hawk swooped out up and over my roof and down to the groound catching a pegion. I couldn’t move. I was amazed. It took awhile for the pegion to die. The hawk has to eat quite a bit of the bird because it couldn’t fly away with it after sitting for an hour I just had to get up still an hour later it finally flew away with it’s prey
If any one wants to see a picture you can check out my face book page-Sean