Next to the nest

  

We've come across a couple of different Cooper's Hawks (Astur cooperii) at their nests recently.  This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago in Glen Ellen.  After taking off, the hawk flew up to a large nest at the top of a dense oak tree.  [You can click on the photo for a larger version.]

Feather detail and more

  

Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) feeding while perched on a tree branch in Cotati on 18 March 2025.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

In addition to feeding on prey, this bird happened to be quite vocal as we were walking by.  The calls were not the more-often-heard cak-cak-cak variety, but instead what are sometimes described as whaaa calls, more often attributed to females.

If you're interested, I recorded a very short audio clip for the record -- see below.  [If you can't see the video player in the e-mail, click on the title of the post above to find it on the NHBH web page.]  The lighting isn't the best, but at the time I was more focused on trying to record the sound.  You might need to turn up your volume a little bit.

Spring is on the way!

Focused

  

Wow!  This weekend, Eric looked out the back door and noticed this adult Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) sitting on a post in the garden.

The hawk spent quite a bit of time hunting...landing on tomato cages and walking among the plants.  We're assuming it was focused on finding a songbird.  Impressive to see it up close and to watch its behavior!

Here's another view:

 

 

This Cooper's Hawk is on the smaller side, so likely a male.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

Following the feathers

 

 

From back on 19 November 2023, but here's a view of a young Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) with some nice feather details!  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Taking off

 

 

A young Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) taking off after hunting for sparrows in a shrub, 7 October 2023.

At the top of the pine

 

 

A bit in the shadows, but a nice adult Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) across the street from our house in Cotati on 12 February 2023.  I heard the hawk calling, but this is a large pine, so it took me a while before I located it near the very top of the tree.

Near the top

  

As I was doing chores around the house today, I kept hearing an accipiter calling — kek, kek, kek, kek, kek, kek, kek.  It was only calling occasionally (or rarely), with long pauses in between, but every time I heard it I tried to locate the bird.  After several attempts, I finally found it perched near the top of a tall redwood tree just down the street.  It was pretty high up there, so this is one of the best photos I took.  [You can click on the image for a larger view.]

I'm not totally sure about the identification.  I'm leaning towards a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi), perhaps a small male, but if you have thoughts about the i.d., let me know.

I like thinking about them sitting up there, among the redwood branches high above the town, surveying what's going on down below.

Enraptored

We had a nice trio of raptor observations this morning.  I think one of the best views was this bird near the Bodega Bay Post Office:

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetis leucocephalus)

Returning from a shorebird survey, this bird was perched on a wire along the road:

 

Separating Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks can be challenging.  I'm going with a small male Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) for this one, but I'm open to other opinions!

Earlier, just as we began the shorebird survey in Bodega Harbor, this bird made a quick pass over the tidal flats:

 

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

 

Not so happy

 

While out for a short walk in the late afternoon, I heard some commotion and looked up to see this Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) landing on a wire.  

Then I realized what all the fuss was about — some of the other birds weren't so happy about this hawk being nearby:

 

After avoiding many swooping dives from a small group of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), this young hawk eventually took off and headed east.

 

Stopping by

This afternoon I stepped outside to take a break from chores and a work project.  Within seconds I heard what sounded like a large bird landing on a branch and looked up to see this handsome visitor:

 

Note the long, somewhat rounded tail, the orange-brown markings on the breast, and the dark red eyes.  

From the side (below) you could see a fairly distinct darker cap:

 

My guess is a male Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi), but I'm open to other opinions.

Morning visitor

This Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) stopped briefly in the backyard yesterday.  I tried to take a few photos before it flew off, but I hadn't realized my camera settings were way off for the situation.  When I was reviewing the pictures to see if anything was presentable, I thought this one still seemed like an interesting portrait:

 

Christmas morning Cooper's Hawk, Walpole, MA, 25 December 2018

Long tailed

 

A couple of immature Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) have been very active on Bodega Head recently.  

Here's one perched in the Bodega Marine Lab parking lot this morning, 1 December 2016.

 

Neighbors

After chores today, I went for a short walk around Cotati.  It was nice visiting with some of our neighbors (see below):

 

Western Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio rufutus) — perhaps a male following a female?

 

An accipiter (Cooper's Hawk?) calling and landing in a tall pine.

 

A Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) bringing food into a nest!  (The nest is underneath the peeling eucalyptus bark.)