Hi all, I'm new here, (2nd post) but that photo looks like a Cooper's Hawk to me. Here's a shot of (what was ID'd by others as) a Red-Shouldered Hawk: Pretty, but pretty different I think. I have some other shots of this guy at the link below. Kenn Here is a link that might be useful: Red-Shouldered Hawk

Once I heard something hit the house really hard. I looked outside and a hawk must have chased a pigeon so that it flew into the house. The pigeon clearly had a broken wing and was trying to walk away but the hawk was slowly following it. Later there was a pile of pigeon feathers in the corner of the yard. Another time I was sitting outside and I realized it was almost completely silent - no bird noises. I thought hmm, that's odd and looked up to see birds flying into all the bushes. Just then, a big hawk swoped into my yard, perched on a branch for a few moments and then took off. A minute later all the birds in the bushes were raising such a racket. All I could think was they were telling each other "Did you see that? We almost died!" My sister had an outdoor cat in Phoenix. The neighbors referred to cats as coyote bait. That cat was one tough cookie and survived 13 years there. She's still alive at 17+ years old but now she stays indoors in her new home in another state. If she had any fights with a hawk, she won.

Happy Belated Birthday! I've been recovering from the Thanksgiving extravaganza and just finally made it back to the forum. :) Hope you're having fun with your new computer! Bri

Thanks albert. I guess I was thinking that a bird, if old or infirmed, might choose solitude in thick brush or woods. But I guess all animals, like humans, might not have time to choose the best dying place! That's true about "where are all the dead birds?" Maybe they get eaten quickly, once they fall? One of my favorite wildlife artists wrote that it seems he sees ovenbirds dead in the ground more than other birds. Shortly after I read that, I found one dead on the ground in my back yard! Maybe oven birds aren't as tasty as others, and don't get eaten?? Nature is so interesting!