Mystery bird

I was outside taking the bungie cords off the trash can around 6 a.m. this morning when I heard an unusual birdcall. When I looked up, I saw the shape above.

Rushed inside, grabbed my camera and telephoto lens, shot a close-up:

The light blue line is the telephone wire. I increased the exposure in the image to better see the details on the bird, but I don't have time right now to do much other editing.

Anyone know what kind of bird this is? I only managed to get a few shots before the bird flew off.

Got home from the cottage yesterday afternoon but I'm leaving for L.A. and the SCBWI Conference this morning. So excited!

Comments

[Phil Mills]

Red Tailed Hawk, I think. You can try a Google image search and see if those pictures look right to you.

[Jeff]

I'm thinking it might be a Peregrine Falcon? Most of the images I found for them online show a much darker head, but here's one that looks very similar.

[John Chew]

Nice photo. I'd submit it to

http://www.peregrine-foundation.ca/identification.html

and see which page they put it on. :)

[Traveller]

My first thought is Peregrine Falcon. The chest markings are a good match for one.

This one looks a lot like the one you have but from a different angle.

This one is close to the same pose but with a lighter chest.

It is possible that this bird is an immature raptor of some kind, but the falcon feels right.

[Brooke Lunderville]

It looks like a Cooper's hawk to me...

[Hawklady (from LJ)]

Red-tailed hawk, immature. We can't see the tail in this shot, so I'm aging it off of the eyes, which start out yellow and darken with age + exposure to light. It *might* be a second-year bird but my money is on the first year teenager just starting to get independent of the parents.

The specklng on the flanks and belly would likely look like a 'band' across the lower belly when viewed from the front.

Lovely work on the photo! The dim-light profile is still a buteo, but I'd guess "red tail, maybe red-shouldered" and have to leave it at that.

[Catherine Rutland]

HI Debbie - it might be a Kestrel.

I heard that bird call when I was over at your place last week checking on the mail. I mentioned to a scientist friend about seeing that bird and hearing its call and she thought it might be a kestrel.