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Posted by Carlos Sanchez on 07:39:14 04/01/09
In Reply to: Accipiter sighting (3/30) posted by Novice Birder
Cooper's Hawk has begun breeding in Miami-Dade county in the last few years and is no longer just a winter resident. It is a rather common, resident 'yard bird.' It is currently more frequently encountered than Sharp-shinned Hawks.
Sharp-shinned Hawk is a wintering bird, but can also be seen during migration (autumn and spring). That said, your bird could have been either of them. Did you get any field marks or grasp of size in comparison to the Northern Mockingbirds?
I always find it useful to look up a bird I had trouble identifying and memorize the key field marks. Even if I cannot identify it from the brief or unsatisfactory look I had before, I will know exactly what to look at first the next time I come across that species just in case I only get another brief view.
Carlos
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