They breed here, Alan. Northern CA. coast, riparian woodlands, mainly....we see them hunting in the edges of the woods frequently, and hear babies from time to time. Northern Goshawks, on the other hand, breed much farther north and are occasionally only seen here... Will tell my mom what you said...see OT: My Mom for how to reach me...so you can reach her :)

Peterson's didn't help. Oops. Need an ID.

Oh, sorry, I didn't mean they were hunting, they were just gliding around in circles, very, very high, from what I have read, this is common behavior for red-tailed hawks around this time of year and has something to do with mating. I was able to get a good look with my binoculars and they were definitely hawks. They have been doing this lately, more so on sunny days, usually at least two, sometimes more, but that day there were more of them than I have ever seen! Very pretty!

Thanks for the guess, Orrin. When I looked up Buteo buteo on the internet, the wing pattern and size was almost identical. But then I noticed the tail. The Buzzard has a rounded tail, and the one I saw has a distinct V-notch in the tail. Thanks, tho. Candy