Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2002 14:21:44 EST Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Kerry Stone Subject: Cooper's or Sharp-shinned?? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all, I got a great look at this hawk but I am not 100% sure of it's identification. Noticeable characteristics: big bird (size of a crow); thick white tail band at the tip, I'd say 1/4 of an inch. It was perched on a snag over Sligo Creek and had either a small bird or small vole. The bird looked tall - majestic really. When I got home and looked over my various field guides, my identification confidence waned. I'm thinking Cooper's but the books are renowned for sighting a characteristic in one line, then taking it back in the next (usually sighting differences in plumage and gender). Any insight would be appreciated. Other notable sightings: Screech owl and a beautiful female Eastern Towhee. Thanks, Kerry Stone Takoma Park, MD Montgomery Cty. kerryzelda@aol.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================