In a message dated 2/16/2009 11:38:02 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
 writes:

have had  this small hawk hanging out in my backyard since last 
summer.  He  seems to be unafraid of humans and will perch on a limb as 
close as 10  feet from where we are sitting.  Most of the time when 
hunting he  stays close to the ground or on the ground.  Rather than dive 
bomb  down to the feeder, he zooms in at about 6 feet above the ground.   
The other day, I snapped this picture of him(?) sitting in the English  
ivy waiting for a flock of sparrows to come to the feeder.  The  
horizontal board behind the bird measures 3.5 inches in  width.




Also, if you've been seeing this bird in your yard since summer, that would  
make it more likely to be a young Cooper's Hawk, as Sharpies are not here in  
summer. Cooper's Hawks breed here.
 
Rick Sussman
Woodbine,MD
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