Size question serious

Is there such a thing as a “ large or very large Cooper’s hawk”. I have heard of a huge elephant and a huge rat. Since rats live with humans and humans discard food, cooked and uncooked, and egg shells, rinds, and bones I can assume there will be huge rats.

Have you ever been in the field, when yer friend yells “ Hey Evets (Steve backwards), look at this huge Song Sparrow.” On any e- bird report, have you seen a large White - crowned sparrow. If you observe a huge Red- tailed hawk, you can place that hawk in the bin with the Harlan’s red - tailed. Many years ago I was with a few birders from the Skagit Audubon. We were at Samish Flats, an open area on the roadside with  telephone poles and wires. There was a Merlin perched at close range on the wire. The background was sky- monotone. Is this why the hawk appeared very large or was it because I had not observed a Merlin perched at close range, for many years. I was informed by the birder next to me - No the bird does not appear large. The hawk appears just right.

Now , you know this posting is going to slip right into Northern Goshawks. I say this- if you think you observed a Goshawk- then you probably did. But the few factors that you present must point in the right direction. Location is not as important as the season. I am suggesting that if you observed a large Cooper’s hawk in flight or perched, that the hawk was not a male NG. Since a male NG is slightly larger than a female Cooper’s, and at a distance of more than 50 feet it is too difficult to resolve the difference, I say you probably observed a female NG. If you are familiar with the Cooper’s in flight, but you cannot describe what you observed, except to say - There was something funny about the hawk — something different, well it is still possible you observed a NG. On this posting, I will not describe identification.



So, this posting talks briefly of size. Size might depend upon intensity and direction of light. It might also depend upon the background and the color and the texture of the background. But, to you really think that size is important. Well, it ain’t. Size matters to the bird; size matters to the scientist. Size makes the bird, or the bird makes its size — or both. I will continue on another day. NB.

Do you observe the sky

Dear birders and hawk watchers- and there is a difference. Yes, there is a world of difference between a hawk watcher and a birder. There is a big difference between a Cooper’s hawk and a Goshawk.

Check the the wa tweeters birding list serve post by crazy dave, July 26 2019. Disappearing birds. He reports on the paucity of birds, insects, and raptors. He lives south of my position possibly by 70 miles. I can conclude from our observations - birders are not hawk watchers. They have little interest in observing the sky. Folks - I am in the sky every day - even from inside my house. Raptors cannot hide in the sky!

The thought: I am going to write an Irish jig. Mueller are you in there.

Early goshawk

July22 - 2019  Anacortes- Saint Mary’s Church

1 female NG. The hawk came through overhead, flapping, at about100 feet altitude. Then hawk went circling, soaring and flapping and drifting, at about 150 feet altitude. Lapsed time of observation, about 2 minutes.

The hawk had a very wide terminal band, white. My other neighbor— the third one— to be shown a Goshawk in flight. I will say this again and again— You’ve seen Goshawks!

This ( for me) is a rare sighting of ( female NG) as related to the season; the nesting season. The female is usually observed after August 15. Or better yet— September 1. Also, it is rare or uncommon to observe a male NG, until after August 15. NB.