Cooper's or Sharp-shinned id help please

[neepgrin]

Also on Feb 15th on McGuire Rd, near the east end, this little fellow sat quietly. Sorry for the bad light. The tail feathers look rounded at the edges for a Cooper's Hawk, but the "V" notch in the tail made me wonder. Any help is appreciated.



Thanks Linda J.

[rickwright]

Do you have a larger image? It looks like a Merlin to me.

[neepgrin]

here are 2 cropped images, hope they help.....

[rickwright]

Yes, this is a Merlin. In the first image you could see the square shoulders and blocky head; in the third, you have a great view of the long wing and short tail. Accipiters are much rounder in contour, with proportionately short wings and long tails.

[neepgrin]

Thanks so much

[davidandkaren]

Nice capture - finding a Merlin is far cooler than the seeing your typical Coopers/Sharp-shinned Hawks. Still waiting to see my first.

[kenpossum]

Nice capture! Envy here. I am looking for my first as well!

[Harrier]

I most often see Merlins on the wing. Look for a small, very dark falcon flying straight and fast. These birds have a habit of sticking to the flight plan and getting where they want to be in a hurry.

[rickwright]

Was the bird as pale in life as it is in these photos? Harrier's note about the darkness of Merlin is very apt for the subspecies most often seen here, but your bird looks mightily like Richardson's Merlin, the pale prairie race.

[Gord]

Rick, I agree that it sure looks like the prairie ssp. I have only ever seen a handful out here myself over the years.

Like your description Harrier. They also remind me of a pigeon in size and flight pattern. I often tell others that if it looks and flies like a pigeon but is a raptor, then it's a Merlin!