Cooper's hawk

[Nina Shepardson]

Hi all,

Yesterday evening, shortly before the rain started, my husband and I saw an adult Cooper's hawk plucking and eating a kill in our backyard. The smaller birds in the yard were making a racket, and a blue jay even buzzed the Coop once or twice.

We've had juvenile Coopers in the yard a couple of times, which implies the presence of adults in the area, but this is the first time an adult has actually shown up. The coloring and patterning were quite pretty! 

Some of the prey feathers were still scattered around this morning, and it looks to have been a blue jay. 

Happy birding,

Nina Shepardson, Arlington