[ctviggen]

And if it has a nest, where could the nest be?  I think I hear a bird making a sound, but it's hard to tell where the sound originates, especially if you have no idea where a nest might be.

Bird on back deck:

[Phil A]

Looks like a hawk?  Don't know tons about birds.

[Phil A]

Here are pics and sounds



http://www.junglewalk.com/photos/hawk-pictures.htm

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Hawks_Hawk_sounds.aspx

[Bear]

North American Birds of prey:

http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/hawks.html

[Occam]

looks like a Cooper's Hawk-
http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/cooper-s-hawk.html

Here is a Cooper's Hawk in my Brooklyn, NY backyard. He stayed for a couple of hours devouring a pidgeon

[Mitsuman]

looks like a Cooper's Hawk-
http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/cooper-s-hawk.html

Here is a Cooper's Hawk in my Brooklyn, NY backyard. He stayed for a couple of hours devouring a pidgeon

Doesn't have the barred tail feathers like an adult Coopers though. It could be an adolescent, which always makes it hard to distinguish.

I think it's a rough-legged but again I can't be 100% sure. 

[Mitsuman]

Rough-legged hawk.

[nature boy]

It is a Cooper's Hawk as Paul noted.  Nice pix.

NB

[Mitsuman]

It is a Cooper's Hawk as Paul noted.  Nice pix.

NB

Don't think so. 

[Steidl Guitars]

Pretty certain that it's not a Cooper's Hawk.  Cooper's Hawks are in the genus Accipiter, whereas the bird in the photo by the original poster looks to be in the genus Buteo, which are heavier bodied (the Rough-winged hawk pointed out is a Buteo). 

A good feature for identifying Accipiters (in North America, that includes Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, and Goshawks) is their proportionately long tails.  In the photos posted by Mitsuman and Occam, have a look at how far the tail extends past the wing tips, then compare that to the original photo.

So what is the bird in the original photo?  Could be any of the local Buteos, and it looks like it might be a young bird, fledged this year, which are usually more brown in color than adults.  So I'd want to start with geography, then check which Buteos breed nearby, then check which of those have banded tails (like the Accipiters do).

I find myself wanting to apologize for being a bird dork...

[jdoris]

Good post, Steidl.

I agree that one should start with geography (and the excellent Sibley's).  I also agree that it is likely a Buteo.  I also agree it's not a Cooper's, given the tail.  Very many places, Redtails dominate, so I'm tempted to say it's a juvenile Redtail, which needn't have a red tail -- though I'd like a look at its breast.  (Here in St. Louis, we have a light morph of the redtail which is grey and white!)  A Roughlegged is also a good bet, as is a juvenile of some other Buteo.

Birding is hard work!

John

[Steidl Guitars]

Thanks John.  I thought about immature red-tail given that they are so abundant and widely distributed, but I wasn't sure about the banded tail.  I was thinking broad-winged, but only if the OP is east of the Mississippi.

Here's a photo of a broad-winged hawk's tail:



Bob

[pansixt]

Looks to me to be very close to the fourth frame from the bottom of the Red-Tailed Hawk on the link that Bear has in the above post.

http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/hawks.html

James

[S Clark]

Bob is right about it being a Buteo- can't miss that bulk compared to the Accipiters.  I'll shoot an email to a friend that's big in the local Audabon Society and get back with you guys.  He knows his hawks. 

[Matty_J]

Anyway...like the pictures.  I mostly see Red-tailed Hawks in Oregon