Hi Jane! It's been my pleasure (really!) since I enjoy testing my raptor ID skills when I am unable to get outside and do it for real (either due to schedule limitations or birds not cooperating). Raptor ID is something I've been working on for a year or two now; only recently did I become any good at it. Hawks used to look all the same to me. I claimed to love them but I knew so little about them. I had to learn to notice the fine details and become adept at pointing them out quickly. Sometimes a glimpse is all you get. I believe those two guides you purchased will serve you (or anyone) well. The general Eastern guide is a great visual tool but Crossley doesn't have the space on each page to really break down the field marks that make each species unique. His raptor guide will probably be better for that, but I had to purchase Hawks in Flight to REALLY get into the details of real-time ID. Perched birds are easy to master; soaring hawks requires a lot of practice. I have also used online articles (American Birding Association/ Jerry Liguori) to learn new things, especially concerning the amazing diversity of Red-tailed Hawks. I have also learned a lot from experienced birders. I still have a ton to learn so I lurk forums such as these. Gives me an excuse to read a little more about IDing raptors. I have another tip that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY when IDing raptors (birds in general). Always weed out the unlikely/impossible species first. Check: - Location/range (you'll not likely find a Swainson's Hawk in New England unless during spring/fall migration) - Season (Broad-winged Hawks are in s. America during the winter) - Behavior (Northern Goshawks are notoriously elusive forest hawks and are the least likely Accipiter at a bird feeder). Rule out what it ISN'T and you'll likely have a much narrower list of what it could be. After that it comes down to field marks, shape, flying style, etc. If you are lucky enough to hear the hawk's call, then you are well on your way. Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds has recordings of bird sounds and it's a great reference. I'm sure I left a million things out but that's mostly what I wanted to say. This post was edited by TMFF on Sun, Mar 10, 13 at 17:15

Thanks so much! I've been discouraged about my new camera choice after looking at some early Canon EOS 7D bird photo samples..soft images, over exposed, noisy, EEEeew. I was upset, but DB comforted me by pointing out that the first poster had used a cheap Sigma lenses and lightened the image, and the second one had used a doubler. Then I found a professional photographer's website with photos taken using a 7D that were exquisite, but he could have been taking the photos from up close and using a pricey lens. The Canon EOS 7D reviews are full of glowing praise, so I don't know what to think. I checked a chatline and the consensus there was that it was the best thing for the price since sliced bread. Everyone had either bought one or was about to, and that once you spend 3 days reading the thick instruction manual and adjusting all the settings, you'll have increasingly better results with practice, and they seemed to all be delighted with it. Well, I have to have some sort of camera improvement; as it is, I've spent alot of time stalking ducks at the fish hatchery-crawling through weeds, lying in the grass to get as close as possible-yet the Canon 40D camera couldn't handle shadows or water well and most of the photos were barely usable even for ID purposes. Photos taken with the 7D-look great until you zoom in. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=33518247 Camera discussion group, reviewing their Canon EOS 7D experiences http://photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00V9r0

They are beautiful in flight, aren't they?

I'm a juvvie, I ate too much, and I want my mommy !!! Seriously though, that is a fabulous pic. One of the best. I am a bit confused in that the bulge looks too low for the crop. Could it be the foot pulled up real high ?? Anyway, I live on the west coast, so it is always a treat to see the eastern variants of one of our most common hawks- send us more !!!