A nice surprise today was a presumed family group of 3 Red-shouldered Hawks (2 juvs and an adult).

young shoulder

young shoulder

That’s juv #1, which was right in front of me.

Juv #2 was further away (and I didn’t know it was a second bird at first). A Sharp-shinned Hawk came in and eventually took a couple swipes at it, moments after this excellent shot:

Shoulder and Sharpie

You’ll probably want to click through to see it bigger. I also added notes to point out the birds (the Sharpie is especially hidden).

Posted 20090913 2046 | filed under birding |

7 Comments

  1. Larry Jordan:

    Nice captures of the Juve Jason. What did the inexperienced Red-shouldered Hawk do as the Sharpie swooped down on it? Did it hold its ground? Or perch as the case may be?

  2. Mick:

    Nice photos – I’m glad you added the notes to show the birds as I certainly wouldn’t have found the ‘Sharpie’.

  3. Kelly:

    …beautiful photos! Interesting to see both species together. Every now and then a Coopers and a Sharpie show up at the same time in my backyard, but we’ve never had a Red-shouldered.

  4. gwendolen:

    I like seeing interaction between species. Always wonder what might happen next.

  5. Amy:

    Wow, neat encounter!

  6. Wren:

    Nice job. Love those first two photos.

    And I am likewise glad you labeled the birds on flickr. I’d never have found the sharpie.

  7. ramblingwoods:

    Great catch… I usually see coopers or sharpies here……Thank you for the added notes as I wouldn’t have seen it either but I am a novice so that doesn’t say much… lol.. Michelle

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