{"id":4956,"date":"2010-04-04T23:27:43","date_gmt":"2010-04-05T06:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefreequark.com\/?p=4956"},"modified":"2010-04-04T23:27:43","modified_gmt":"2010-04-05T06:27:43","slug":"sharpie-maybe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/?p=4956","title":{"rendered":"Sharpie . . . Probably"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the toughest raptor distinctions for me is Cooper’s<\/a> versus Sharp-shinned Hawk<\/a> (Sharpie). A solid ID depends on a number of things, including a good view of the tail colors and shape, the streaking on the plumage, and the bird’s relative size. All of those features can also vary by age and sex.<\/p>\n

I shot this image of a Sharpie or Cooper’s at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery last week (San Rafael, California), and ran the photo by my resident expert, Bird Master. She thought it was a Sharpie, but couldn’t say with certainty in the absence of a more detailed photo. So, for now, I’m saying Sharp-shinned Hawk but I’m open to an ID of Cooper’s if you believe I’ve made that designation in error.<\/p>\n

Both Cooper’s Hawks<\/a> and Sharp-shinned Hawks<\/a> are bird hunters. I’ve witnessed a Cooper’s shoot through a maze of branches in pursuit of its prey — in that particular case, missing her targeted finch. Those who keep bird feeders will, at some point, probably find a Cooper’s or a Sharpie eyeing the visiting birds. If you have bird feeders, it’s a good idea to provide cover for the feeding birds — thick trees or shrubs where birds can ditch if they perceive danger, like that of a nearby hawk.<\/p>\n

This particular hawk was perched on a tombstone in a torrent of rain, fluffing and preening with little concern for my lens.
\n

\"Sharp-shinned<\/a>

Sharpie or Cooper's - \u00a9ingridtaylar<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I shot this image of a Sharpie or Cooper’s at Mt. Tamalpais Cemetery last week, and ran the photo by my resident expert, Bird Master. She thought it was a Sharpie, but couldn’t say with certainty in the absence of a more detailed photo.<\/p>\n

[see the full-size photo …]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[103],"class_list":["post-4956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-raptors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4956\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ingridtaylar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}