Posted by Raul Urgelles on March 04, 2003 at 22:38:14:
In Reply to: Cooper's Hawks in University of Miami Gifford Arboretum posted by Bob Kelley on March 02, 2003 at 12:28:04:
Hi Bob,
I want to thank you for the excellent description of the area where the hawks could be found. Today I went to the arboretum around 4:00 pm, and there they both were...male and female Cooper's hawks. Excellent views (first time for me) of both. Female larger than male as I read in Sibley's and male had caught some prey item, which I couldn't identify because he kept flying away when I got too close. The female was posing for me though, too bad I didn't have my camera.
I believe they are definitely trying to nest on the sandbox tree, as I witnessed the female remove bark from the pine tree next to the road and head towards that particular tree. By this time it was nearing dusk and I decided to leave them alone.
As I walked through the arboretum, I caught a glimpse of an unknown bird. I was only able to see its underside as I was standing directly beneath it and the low light conditions didn't help even with binocs. In a matter of seconds, it flew away. My description is limited but I'm hoping you or anyone who reads this may be of help: thrush-sized; white underside with visible dark lateral throat stripes; underside was streaked/spotted, not entirely but mostly on breast area; bill was not thrasher-like. Any suggestions?