There was a guy with binoculars watching this hawk. I looked to see what he was looking at, and figured it was a bird eating something. He let me use his binoculars, and this was fascinating to watch in person not just on Animal Planet. The guy had his Nat Geo Bird book with him and identified it as a Coopers Hawk, native to the Michigan area. Sorry, my camera could not focus in too good. I didn't want to move closer as to disturb his dinner (and I didn't want bloody feathers raining on me!) How amazing and unusual this made our visit today. (R.I.P poor pigeon )
-Bonnie, Team Tapir
I've noticed that Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks are more frequent at zoos than even red-taileds. I am not completely sure that this is a Cooper's though. While there is dramatic sexual dimorphism in both Cooper's and sharp-shinned, this looks to small for even a male Cooper's. If it is a rock pigeon, going by scale, I'd say it is an immature sharp-shinned (immature by coloring). Always awesome to watch them get some food though!
If you have a good feeder setup in your yard, Cooper's or sharp-shinned could easily be seen. I have a regular few come by a few times a week to see what songbirds are on the menu.
