Upper Fauntleroy birdwatchers, be on the lookout

Couldn’t get the camera fast enough but a bird that just appeared in our wildlife-habitat (aka overgrown) backyard is something we’ve never seen around our house before — very large, cocoa-brown, some white trim around the throat, smallish head. Not sure if it was a Cooper’s Hawk (WSB reader sightings here), some other kind of hawk, or falcon; even osprey came to mind but it doesn’t seem to match online photos. Whatever it was, the regular backyard birds are way upset about it (perhaps fearing imminent consumption); they are chattering up a storm.

8 Replies to "Upper Fauntleroy birdwatchers, be on the lookout"

  • Gatewood Resident May 14, 2008 (2:04 pm)

    I have a Cooper’s Hawk that hunts the pigeons cleaning up the scraps around my bird feeders. Mr. Hawk lands in the apple tree, the songbirds scatter. However, the pigeons fly away to return moments later (seem to have short-term memory problems!) and end up becoming the hawks target prey. It’s very cool to watch the whole thing.

  • Bonnie May 14, 2008 (2:39 pm)

    We have a hawk around here in our neighborhood. Not sure what kind though. We’re in the Fauntlee Hills area.

  • changingtimes May 14, 2008 (4:16 pm)

    i need a hawk over here! those “cute little song birds” have made my roof there new home and my car there new bathroom!

  • westseattleite May 14, 2008 (5:36 pm)

    We have a hawk in our Seaview neighborhood, in fact my husband and I came outside one day only to find it sitting on a pigeon making a kill. I did take pics that I will send in if everyone is interested. It stayed in our front yard for two full days.

  • WSB May 14, 2008 (7:05 pm)

    Oh, we LOVE wildlife photos – would love to have the pix
    editor@westseattleblog.com

  • snowlion May 14, 2008 (10:50 pm)

    From the description, I thought maybe kestrel, but it looks a bit large for a kestrel.

  • B-Squared May 15, 2008 (11:38 am)

    Would like to see the hawk photo too! might be the same guy that cases my backyard feeder!

  • Mark Ahlness May 15, 2008 (7:50 pm)

    Sounds like a Cooper’s hawk to me – but “smallish head” leans toward sharp-shinned… Coopers are pretty happy and well adapted in south WS. They nest regularly in Lincoln Park. We watched 4 fledge there last summer – could easily be one of those.

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