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 for the feedback. I was sitting at my kitchen table when I heard the birds call out and scatter in every direction. I was able to take pictures through my kitchen window of the hawk as he narrowed in on his prey. One of the cardinals hit the window and landed underneath the deck furniture.

I would say Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk. The streaking on the breast doesnt fit Red-tailed hawk. It should be concentrated in a band around the belly region.

In my area, I have plentiful Red-tailed hawks and have them nesting in the old woods around my retired farm every year. The parent hawks are year-round residents, often using the same nest over again until they have an unsuccessful nesting, after which they will choose a different nest the following year. They also usually build more than one nest and then choose the one seeming most protected when egg laying time comes around. But their young disperse in late summer after fledging and spending much of the summer hunting with their parents. The juvenile Red-tailed hawks disperse and form communities consisting of other juvenile hawks and make their way north to the Braddock Bay area of Canada. From there, they disperse again, going off to find their own breeding territories. Gail R (WNY)