I agree with BN. You indeed have a first-year Red-tailed Hawk. If you have a field guide, take a look at this bird's tail pattern and compare with Cooper's/Sharp-shinned. You'll notice it's a shorter, fatter tail with narrower banding than with Cooper's/Sharp-shinned. Also, compare this bird's tail with an adult Red-tailed Hawk's tail (which is a rusty red color) and you'll see how we can distinguish a juvenile from an adult. They gain their red tails during their first molts (when they are one year old). This bird should be molting soon, as it hatched last year.

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

Hi all, This is an immature hawk (Brown, pale eyes, breast streaking,...) This bird has a buteo shape (large body and head, short tail, and like Elly said, the wing tips reach tip of the tail.) Nathan was right comparing the breast streaking of Cooper with Sharpie, but, what we have here is a buteo not an accipiter. The streaking extends all over the breast and upper breast of that bulky bird, so it is not a Red-tailed Hawk wich show a clear patch on upper breast. The outer feathers of the tail show neat barring, not a faded one like we see on immature Red-tailed or immature Broad-winged (Broad-winged Hawk are still far South anyway). Elaine, your bird is an immature Red-shouldered Hawk like Orrin and Bob said. Luc

Replacing the float needles may have improved the problem. However, the cleaning you did on the seat may have had as much effect as new needles. Examine the needle tip under magification. These should be smooth and free of nicks, burrs, and grooves. If the needles and seats are in good shape, look elsewhere. Two common sources of bowl flooding are 1) float level too high, and 2) sinking floats. When you had the carburator apart, shake the float and listen to it. If you hear fliud sloshing around in it, it is leaky. I'm not sure what kind of needles your bike uses: solid metal needles or elastomer tipped. The float level is easy set for solid needles, but the elastomer tipped ones require some 'fiddling'. You may think that the elastomer tipped needle and float has been set to a proper height only to find that the tip takes a set and allows the fuel level to rise. Also, don't forget to shut off the fuel valve when shutting down the machine for a period time greater than 15 minutes.