I have been back and forth with this bird. I just cannot get over the heavy barring on the wings. No Broad-winged wears this plumage. In the middle photograph I see a hint of rufous on the shoulder. These are two indicators of a Red-shouldered Hawk. The dark malar area can also occur with a RSHA. The light above and below the eye also look like RSHA. I agree those thicker chest streaks are BWHA-like, but RSHA sometimes have them. That barring on the secondaries, however, just isn't a BWHA mark. In fact, the wing barring is a pretty good indicator to make a distinction between these two similar species- a RSHA has them, a BWHA doesn't. Therefore, I am nearly certain this is a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk.

I know next to nothing about hawks, so I had to pull out my Audubon field guide and really do some searching and comparing. I found myself in a similar quandary as you did: either the Sharp-Shinned Hawk or the Cooper's. The question I have, I guess, is about how large is this hawk? If it was chasing a jay, it would seem to make more sense for it to have been the larger Cooper's Hawk. Although the tail of the Sharp-Shinned Hawk seems to match your photo better. According to the field guide both of these hawks have ranges that would include where you live. I guess in the end I would say it was a Cooper's Hawk. I can't wait to see what others say! Thanks for sharing a fun puzzle.

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Thanks Zach. Now I'll warn the songbirds. :) I quit feeding the birds, except in really severe conditions in the winter.....which has happened recently. I just throw seed on the driveway for them. Back when I had a feeder hanging in the back yard, one summer I had a coopers hawk that sat in a tree at a distance, keeping an eye on them. Everything has to eat......I just don't want to see it. They're all beautiful to me, no matter where they fall on the food chain.