Cooper’s Hawk

Billie and I have established a two-mile route which we walk each morning, at a pace faster than the dogs can handle, and we find that this is a good way to get our daily exercise and to explore the neighborhood and, occasionally, to meet people.  Our route skirts the west lake in Inverness Village, then follows Carnoustie Road to the General Store, the half-way point of the route.  We return by crossing the lagoon using the footbridge near Alexander’s Restaurant, going through Centre Court and returning to Carnoustie Road at the Fazio Villas.  We skirt the east lake in Inverness Village as we return to our condo, making for a 2.06 mile walk in about 30 minutes.

Today as we reached the far end of the east lake we saw a hawk fly to a tree on our route, and as we approached we examined the plumage to try for an identification when we returned to the condo.  I took a few snapshots to confirm the plumage markings, and was lucky enough to catch one shot of the hawk in flight as it moved from the initial perch to another location.

Based on comparison of the markings to those illustrated on the Cornell website, we believe this is a Cooper’s Hawk.  We enjoyed watching her/him watch us, craning its neck to follow my movements as I went from place to place under the tree to photograph the markings which could help us make an identification later.  I think we were successful, and I know we enjoyed the experience of interacting with this beautiful bird!

About Tom

Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Appalachian State University.
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1 Response to Cooper’s Hawk

  1. billie rhyne says:

    What a moment in time! An interaction to remember. And great photography!

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