Sharp shinned hawk?

[Lindaloo Mo]

Had a close up visit yesterday - stood about 8-9" high from feet to top of head. 

[Joel Geier]

I'd call this a Cooper's Hawk (adult) based on the rounded tail with a distinct white tip, a relatively long neck, and apparent large size (if that's a "standard" fence post).

But this is always a tricky identification issue, so I'll be interested to hear what our local raptor afficionados think.

Joel

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From: "Lindaloo Mo" <lindal...@gmail.com>
To: "Mid-Valley Nature" <mid-vall...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2025 9:01:32 AM
Subject: [MidValleyNature:7942] Sharp shinned hawk?

Had a close up visit yesterday - stood about 8-9" high from feet to top of head. 

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[Joel Geier]

Hi all,

Based on the post diameter for reference, I see this is not as big a bird as I thought ... looks like it's about 3 post diameters long, which would be about 10 to 11 inches. So I can be persuaded that this is a Sharpie as in Linda's original ID!

Joel

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From: "Joel Geier" <clear...@peak.org>
To: "Lindaloo Mo" <lindal...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2025 11:31:42 AM
Subject: Re: [MidValleyNature:7942] Sharp shinned hawk?

Thanks Linda!

By eyeball, if the post is 3.5 inches in diameter, the hawk is about 11 inches. That does seem small for a Coop.

And maybe the appearance of a long neck is due to posture ... that's a tricky viewing angle for identification, with the hawk looking straight at you! I usually like to see them in profile to get a better sense of head/neck proportions.

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From: "Lindaloo Mo" <lindal...@gmail.com>
To: "Joel Geier" <clear...@peak.org>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2025 10:11:54 AM
Subject: Re: [MidValleyNature:7942] Sharp shinned hawk?

Post is only 3.5" wide diameter. Seemed really small to me for a coopers, but I usually am not that close to them. 

Linda 

[Joel Geier]

Oh yeah, thanks Linda, that's a Sharpie! Mea culpa ...

Joel

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From: "Linda Morrison" <ml.mo...@gmail.com>
To: "Joel Geier" <clear...@peak.org>
Cc: "Mid-Valley Nature" <mid-vall...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2025 5:38:40 PM
Subject: Re: [MidValleyNature:7945] Sharp shinned hawk?

A couple more pictures

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