Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Hawk!

One of the whippets got up from his spot where he watches out the window and busted out the dog door a couple hours ago. We got up from what we were doing to see what was up. I went out the front door and an explosion of quail happened, followed by me seeing a raptor flying after some. Didn't see a catch, and the quail of course went and hid in the sagebrush and such. Back inside I go, tell the wife I think a sharp shinned or Cooper's was after my quail.

Got back to what I was doing and wife says, it's on your truck. Dog had been laying in the living room and noticed it land on the lumber rack. I was near it, so I grabbed the good camera and went out to see. I had to shoot through the dining room window for the shots on the rack, but was able to move to another window with less glare when it flew from the truck to my rail fence. Too big for a sharp shinned, so I'm calling it a Cooper's. (Birdy, correct me if I'm wrong )



Stayed there long enough for me to get a good zoom shot. If only the glare wasn't there, sunset coming in from the picture window in the living room.



But, the fence pic through the other window is better. I'd have tried to get out to get an unobstructed shot, but he was looking right at the front door.

Nice picture.

A lovely bird.

Break barrel pellet gun will take care of that if in private. Great pics.

Juvenile Cooper’s, I’m gonna WAG female.

Just now independent, learning the ropes, about 1 in 3 make it through the first year.

Bale decease (big round hay bales) as it’s called up north.

They make a lot of strange vocalizations. Last couple years ive had a pair on my property that decided they were going to mate, very frequently, on a log overhanging one of my trails where i have a trail cam set up in video mode. The noises they make while mating are ridiculous, and after, the female often laughs at the male. Serious.

Beautiful bird.

Not a sharp-shinned?

Gots a coupla shots of hawks too, Geno !







We got big, robust, Jim Conrad style hawks up here !!

Looks a little like a Swainson's hawk.

When I first walked outside to see what was going on and something flew by after the quail, that was my first thought. But, seeing it on the truck 10-12 feet away I could tell it was too large for a sharp shinned. Seems the barring pattern on the chest is different in the two species' juveniles, and this one more closely fit the Cooper's version

Mike, when we looked in Sibley's I figured it was a youngster. I wasn't guessing its gender or pronouns in today's world. And yeah, with all them quail in the yard and no success, it better get to learning how to hunt soon, or it's going to be one of your "1 in 3 " statistical losers.

Paul,

I think them are ducks.

Whoa, Conrad sized ducks !

Are they good eatin ?

I'm not sure, but they prolly taste like rattlesnake, 'cause even chickens taste like that.

Geno, that sucker is focused on quail.

Ain't worth a schitt once a 50 grain bullet turns em into a feather cloud.

Poisonous to a lot of raptors.

I was thinkin loons.

Damned right. Nothing like duck gumbo.

Except maybe duck and dressing.