I just got a new, to me, Pentax M 400/5.6 telephoto. I was playing around in front of the house putting the lens through its paces when a hawk I’ve been trying to get a shot of for some time landed on a nearby fence. He has been terrorizing the birds in my feeders for a while now. Rats! No tripod or monopod and no time to fetch one either. Yes, I know you can't hand hold a 400mm but I had to try. This opportunity may not come again. So I braced myself against the car and blasted away. Anyone name that species for me? Can't seem to place him in my bird guide. In any case here’s what I got hand held:

[Nick1946]

Looks a lot like a Peregrine Falcon shown in my bird book.

Nick

[georgweb]

tomg,
well caught and #4 looks quite good to me.

I guess that you have a Sharp-shinned Hawk there.

Here's a short film with it,
An immature sitting in a dry streambed and looking up as a number of California Quails fly overhead | the Internet Bird Collection

As far as I have read the colors of the feathers vary greatly and also with juvenile birds. But, more caracteristically maybe is the kind of 'straight black eyebrow' and the lack of black vertical stripes on the corners below the beak (which I have seen with all other birds I thought they would be your species).

Don't nail me on this one,
Georg (the other)

[Techiechick]

Looks like an American Kistrell (sp) to me. By the way you did an excellent job catching these hand held with that lens.

georgweb has it right. Sharp Shinned Hawk, by George!

Very nice series too!

[daacon]

I was gonna call it Frank ! Wahtever speccies and name it is , 400mm hand held - well done indeed.

[stevebrot]

It is a little hard to tell because of a lack of size reference. If the perch is a 4x4 fence post with 1" facing, my vote would be for a Merlin. It is the same size as a Kestrel, but marked more similarly to the bird pictured. I am hesitant; however, because the Merlin is not particularly common and much less so in mid-winter in Ontario. Sharp-Shinned Hawk is another option with the stronger vote going to Sharp-Shinned except for the facial markings and rounded tail. Too bad we can't see the breast or leg feathers.

Steve

[8540tomg]

Thanks Nick, Georg, Dianne, Dave, Steve and Thumper. Wow, six replies and four different possibilities to choose from. I think Georg may be correct with the Sharp-Shinned Hawk ID but I know Peregrine Falcons have been sighted in this area of late. They may have been around the area for some time and I just haven’t noticed but there seem to be a lot of raptors in the area at this time. My wife sighted 6 hawks or falcons congregated on a dead tree in the Conservation area on the way home from church today. Looks like I may have a chance for more photo opportunities in the future. I hope so as these are magnificent birds. Like all raptors they have death in their eyes. Stay tuned for more raptor shots and I hope they will be a lot sharper.

Next time I’ll be sure to have a monopod or tripod close at hand.

I had a little better luck with a kid riding past on his bike later in the day. This was hand held and manual focus as well. Just a lucky shot. In lower contrast situations the old lens seems to perform not too badly.

[Venturi]

Looks like an American Kistrell (sp) to me. By the way you did an excellent job catching these hand held with that lens.

I was going to guess a Kestrel too. Never been "that close" to one but the color and size reminded me of them. Nice job on the captures too.

[8540tomg]

Thanks Jim - I was fairly close to this guy. I would guess 20-30 feet at most and he was watching me like a hawk. The extra reach of the 400 really makes a difference. Maybe we should set up a poll for this one. He still seems to be a bit of a mystery bird.

Tom G

[stevebrot]

Thanks Jim - I was fairly close to this guy. I would guess 20-30 feet at most and he was watching me like a hawk. The extra reach of the 400 really makes a difference. Maybe we should set up a poll for this one. He still seems to be a bit of a mystery bird.

Tom G

Tom,
I passed your pictures on to a couple of friends of mine that are VERY intense birders that specialize in hawks and falcons. There is some thought that your bird might be a Coopers Hawk. Any chance you could try and get a front shot? Also, can you give an estimate of the bird's size?

Apparently, there is a lot of variation in plumage based on gender, season, and maturity with the result that members of one species often mimic the appearance of their close relatives.

Steve

[8540tomg]

Tom,
I passed your pictures on to a couple of friends of mine that are VERY intense birders that specialize in hawks and falcons. There is some thought that your bird might be a Coopers Hawk. Any chance you could try and get a front shot? Also, can you give an estimate of the bird's size?

Apparently, there is a lot of variation in plumage based on gender, season, and maturity with the result that members of one species often mimic the appearance of their close relatives.

Steve

The variation in plumage might account for the confusion in identifying this fellow. I think we have covered almost every hawk and a few falcons from my Peterson Field Guide. The shape of the tail and markings on the head do indicate a Cooper's Hawk as I check my guide and the 14-20 inches in size seem about right. Ill try to get a frontal shot Steve but it may take a while. Then again that's the challenge of photographing these guys isn't it?

Tom G

[gawan]

Little confused by the many options for the name, but I love the hawk!

[vizjerei]

Hey, looks like you are all good with the 400 sorry I didn't get back to you early enough.

[jmc7104]

I have to side with the Coopers Hawk side. I have a couple of them that frequently visit my back yard and check out the bird feeder area.
jim