Posted by Paul Bithorn on May 31, 2003 at 13:20:35:
In Reply to: Cooper's Hawks posted by Alex on May 30, 2003 at 19:52:23:
The range expansion of the Cooper's Hawk is more far reaching than I originally suspected.On Thursday, May 29, 2003, while leaving my office adjacent to the Opa-Locka Airport, I looked up as a dozen screeching European Starlings mobbed a juvenile Copper's Hawk and on Friday, May 30, 2003, I saw a juvenile Cooper's Hawk returned the favor by chasing a flock of Starlings on the corner of Payne Dr. and Hammond Dr. in Miami Springs.After giving up on thge chase, the hawk landed on a phone line allowing me excellent binocular views.The bird appeared recently fledged as its' facial feathers were not fully developed and he had that sort of dumb look on his face that immatures seem to have. Coupled with the confirmed nesting of this species at the Gifford Arboretum at the University of Miami Dr. (Bob Kelley, et al.)and by Alex at Morningside Park, I welcome this beautiful raptor to our list of breeding species in South Florida. As Jack Horkheimer, the "Star Hustler" always says - "Keep on looking up!" Life is good............