Hawks are Difficult!

Cooper's Hawk? Sharp-shinned Hawk? All the field guides say that these are pretty much identical except for two things: Size & Tail.

The Sharp-shinned is 10 to 14" in length with a squared-off tail. They eat birds and small mammals.

The Cooper's is 14 to 20" in length with a rounded tail. They eat birds and mammals. (No distinction as to what size mammal they chow down on, so maybe a squirrel is a possibility?)

I swore last Saturday that I was seeing a Cooper's Hawk because of its size and the fact that it seemed to be going after a squirrel. Then I saw it again on Sunday and took pictures. The tail made me think it was a Sharpy. Plus it paid no attention to the squirrels and the squirrels paid not an iota of attention to it. Maybe I had one one day and the other the next?

Anyway, pictures posted below of the one I saw Sunday. What I do know for sure is that the birds are pretty much spooked by the Hawk, whichever it may be. The seed bill will definitely be down this month. The last two days I've seen a couple of brave Cardinals and the perky little Chickadees that seem to have no fear whatsoever. And of course the Moron Doves that generally seem to be the food of choice for the hawks.

I really would like to have your vote: Sharp-shinned or Coopers, before I submit my observations to eBird.