Fred Stuckmann Loc: Ohio

Also, any pros & cons are welcomed. Thank you.

About 7:45 AM on 4/9/2013. ISO 1000 at 270mm.

JPL

Looks like some kind of falcon.. Maybe a young brown falcon.
check here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

It's a bird.

TrishV Loc: Now living on Whidbey Island, WA

Checked my book and couldn't find anything that looked like it so will be interested to find out if someone can ID it for you. Good luck.

Macrude Loc: Scotland

Although I am a birdwatcher I'm not expert on American birds but on looking at my National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America I would go for an juvenile Coopers Hawk. Maybe some American birder would know better. Would be interesting to find out for sure.

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

Hawk !

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/hawks.aspx

Nightski

I think you've found yourself a Red Tail Hawk there, Fred. Really Lighthouse...a bird?

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/red-tailed_hawk.htm

Fred Stuckmann Loc: Ohio

Thanks to all who've commented, I appreciate your input.

blitz67 Loc: Cape Cod

It is in fact a young Cooper's Hawk. Nice shot.

Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip

Red tails tend to have dark feathers on the breast and redish tails.
This as mentioned , Coopers hawk.
Tough to identify hawks due to the variety and the difference between juvies and adults

Fred Stuckmann Loc: Ohio

I think that it is a young Cooper's Hawk too, because there is
not a stitch of red on it's tail. Also, the red tails I've seen seem
bigger. Thanks to all who stopped by and commented. I appreciate it.

Flying up to the top of the signal mast, just blocks from downtown Akron.

Nightski

Yah but, it doesn't have the charcoal colored back like the Cooper's. It could be an immature Red Tail that doesn't have it's Red Tail yet. I watched a hawk cam last spring where I got to see the baby hawks go from egg to flying the nest, and they don't get their Red Tails right away. Just a thought. It could be a juvenile Cooper's too. It does have lot of white of the belly for a Cooper's.

Fred Stuckmann Loc: Ohio

I guess it will stay an unanswered question. Nonetheless, thanks to all who weighed in.

Ed P

This could be a Broad-Winged Hawk,
quite possible to be in your area.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/9/pdf/pub386.pdf

Adult red-tailed hawks can be identified by their rust-colored
tail feathers, white breast, and dark streaking across a white belly.
Immature birds are dull in color and lack the rust-colored tail,
but they do have the white underside and dark streaking on their
belly.
The typical red-tailed hawk nest is situated in the crotch of a
large tree with a commanding view of the surrounding land. They
often use the same nest year after year, although some will use
alternating nest sites in different years.
Rough-legged hawks have a flying technique in common with
the much smaller American kestrel. They can hover (known as
kiting) in midair over their potential prey.

Cooper’s hawks are very similar in appearance to
sharp-shinned hawks. Cooper’s hawks, however, are slightly
larger—about 14 to 21 inches long with a wingspan of 27 to 36
inches. Their diet consists of primarily birds (80 percent), with
the balance made up of small mammals and, occasionally, reptiles
and amphibians. They typically prefer to hunt small birds in dense
vegetation within forested areas.