2da4est Loc: Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands

I did not even know these were in my shot. It was early morning and I was just shooting the fog over Donegal Lake, Pa. So this is heavily cropped and not where I was trying to focus. Can anyone tell what they might be? I shot a family of Osprey there a couple of months ago but I thought they would have migrated by now. Could these be juvenile Osprey?

the photo is even worse looking online so I don't know if anyone can help me.


Here is the original shot, but jpg They seem way to small to be osprey

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Interesting! The stripes on the tail looks like Cooper's Hawk. And they are a smallish hawk, I believe.

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

My guess, and it really is a guess, is that they are Sharp-shinned Hawks. The posture and banding on the tail that I can barely see are like that of the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. In the second photo there is a third bird that appears to me to be a crow. That gives me an idea of the relative size which makes me lean towards SS Hawk as they are smaller than a crow with the Cooper's being Crow sized. Additionally, you can just make out a long skinny leg on the hawk on the left and that is also indicative of SS. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's are migrating right now but it is very uncommon for two Cooper's to migrate together. that is more likely to be SS which are somewhat gregarious and can move in groups of 2-5.

As to the possibility that these are Osprey, the posture is wrong, the tail banding is wrong and they are too small to be Osprey. Many of them have already migrated, especially the females, but there are still some males and Juveniles coming through.

If they are both Sharp-shinned Hawks then I would venture to guess that the one on the right is a female as they are generally larger than the males.

2da4est Loc: Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands

Thank you!!!!!! I had never heard of a Sharp-shinned hawk. I am going back this morning just to see if they are around but if they were just passing through I won't have any luck. I thought they were too small for Osprey. And I found that leg interesting too.
So neat to find something in a shot that you have never seen before. My eyes aren't the greatest anymore and I often use my lens to "scope" in on something but in this case when I first saw the birds in the tree I just wrote them off as doves. This is a great surprise!!!!
Thanks again for information!

2da4est Loc: Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands

I went back before daybreak this morning. There were crows in another tree and then when I turned this guy was there. I only got 3 fast shots before he took off. Then he went to the crow tree and I saw him chase a crow!!! In a heatbeat they were around the other side of the bushes and the crow was very quiet. I like anything that keeps crows quiet!

birdpix Loc: South East Pennsylvania

This one seems to be a Cooper's Hawk but they are exceedingly hard to tell from the Sharp-shined. This is a juvenile and the thin dark stripes on the chest are typical of the Cooper's. The head, with the slight corner at the rear and the eye seemingly close to the beak also is typical Cooper's. The tail feathers are of differing lengths which is also Cooper's. So, I guess it is a Cooper's Hawk. I'll do a little more research and if I come up with a different answer, I'll let you know.

2da4est Loc: Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands

I have been reading that they are extremely difficult to distinguish. And it may be that both are at the Lake.