jannd, I should have given the information I usually give with the picture. In most, if not all, species of the birds of prey, the female is larger then the male. Sharpie males are about 10"- females 14". Cooper's males are 14"- females 21". A 14" male Coop is the same size as a 14" female Sharpie. The side by side picture is made from pictures on the same fence with one picture manipulated to make the board the same width as the other. That makes the birds to scale to one another. As you can see, they are for all practical purposes, the same size. The real size difference is between the male Sharpie and a female Coop. We hope to get a picture of them on the fence for a side by side of all 4. Hope this is of help, Bob

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

And I think Nathan is right. More difficult to id in flight but with a neat picture. Luc

Quacker4duck, it was a clear day. When the hawk flew, I tried to track it. That is in the foreground and is either a blurred branch or part of the car! But it does look somewhat ominous. . .