Saturday, February 16, 2019

Sharp-shinned Hawk

It's WHAT kind of hawk? 


Oh, that's a Sharp-shinned Hawk! 

Well of course we had NO IDEA what it was when we saw it. Since it was small, we wondered if it was a juvenile!


 We see lots of hawks here in Florida but this one was 'new to us'. We had to pull out the 'big guns'! 


The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley 
We have several Florida Identification books but we needed Sibley's!
We were on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway in a nice open area.


I'm surprised I even noticed it on this bare tree!
And I was so glad hubby was along with his Nikon P900 with better zoom! 


And why is it called Sharp-shinned? 
The information I read said it had featherless legs! Who knew! 


Hubby comes in handy for using his cap to compare the size of HUGE stickery weeds too!


I sure wouldn't put my cute pink cap next to that weed, would you?


I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE
and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

31 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, said...

There is pronounced sexual dimorphism in birds of prey. Females are larger than males, sometimes as much as one third. So, if your bird was small it was probably a male.

MadSnapper said...

that weed really really hurts if you step on it or touch it. so no on the hat. I have never seen one of these hawks or even heard the name before...

Lea said...

Great spotting of the Hawk! It does look like just an extension of the tree limb. The weed looks like a Thistle that we see here in MS. It has pretty red blooms in the Summer, but those thorns are very sharp.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Vee said...

He looks perfectly settled on that bare tree...looks just like another part of the branch. Someone had eagle eyes. That weed is huge!

carol l mckenna said...

Awesome hawk photos and thanks for the 'well wishes.'

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Jeanie said...

what fabulous blue skies. Love your pink cap!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Great captures and sighting of the Sharp-shinned Hawk. That is a good idea to show the hat next to the weed for size comparison. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day! Have a happy weekend! PS, thanks for the comment on my blog.

Out on the prairie said...

that is a big thistle. We had a sharp shined fly into our mist net when banding birds, and it was a flip of the coin who was going to remove it and hold it to band

Phil Slade said...

I had the same comment as David about the difference sizes of male and female Sharpies. Just like our European Sparrowhawk sexual dimorphism.

Terri D said...

Don't step on that weed in flip-flops (or barefoot)!! Nice catch in that tree... good camouflage on that bird!

Tom said...

...first off, your new header photo is gorgeous. Neat hawk and a weed that I would not want encounter barefoot! Have a great weekend.

happyone said...

Good eyes to pick out that hawk, he blends in so well.

Debbie said...

it is a beautiful hawk, blending in with the tree, great that you noticed it!!! it posed nicely but could have easily been missed!!

i would not throw my cap on the ground...but my husband would!!!

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Lovely photos of the hawk! Such a great capture of him as he blends right in with the tree. I love winter for the fact it's easy to see the birds and especially hawks perched in the bare trees. Have a lovely Sunday. ♥

Linda H said...

Great capture of the hawk! He certainly blends in well on that tree. That large weed looks nasty....

Barbara said...

A Sharp-Shiined Hawk -- very descriptive! Thanks for all the wonderful information you share with your photos!

Linda said...

Interesting. I only see hawks at a distance, and would love to get pictures of one like these.

Irma said...

What a beautiful series of photos of this hawk.
I think they are all great, I can not choose.
Best regards Irma

Bob Bushell said...

It is time for Hawks, love it. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is beautiful, it is the first time I have seen one, keep on spotting.

Anni said...

What a perfect setting for such a beautiful hawk!! That whistle is GIGANTIC. Spells ...O U C H.

I want to thank you for taking the time to link in and show us at I'd Rather B Birdin your pictures and fill us in on the Spring activities!

Jenn Jilks said...

I had a sharp-shinned visit a couple of winters ago. Right on the bird feeder...

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Lovely critters

Ann Thompson said...

Awesome photos. He does blend into that tree well and almost looks like he's part of the branch.
With my luck, if I put my hat next to that weed I would end up getting prickly stuff stuck to it and not notice before I put it back on my heaf

Jeanna said...

Certainly new to me as well and looks like it wants to blend into the tree (which it does). I've only seen tons of Cooper's Hawks here but then again I usually don't know what I'm seeing.

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely photographs of the hawk.

All the best Jan

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

Wonderful photos of the hawk - we have them here in Washington state, too. They love to hunt at the bird feeders and they are very fast! One chased a little bird around my ankles when I was watering a few years ago. The bird got away....:) That's a huge thistle!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a cool hawk and scary stickers weed. No, definitely don’t let your cap anywhere near it.

Angie said...

Diane - I am not the least bit surprised that you came upon this hawk - after all, with the amount of hiking you do, it puts you in prime position to witness wildlife! And then you have such sharp eyes … all the better to capture this beauty for us and pass it on! Enjoy your week ahead!

Nancy Chan said...

You have very good sharp eyes to notice the hawk on the bare tree. Great pictures of the beautiful bird. That is a nice pink cap. Happy new week!

NatureFootstep said...

interesting. The hawk seems to be a part of the tree. :) Nice sight of a rare one :)

Becki said...

What a beautiful hawk! We went to a wildlife festival in South Carolina a couple weeks ago and saw some impressive hawks, owls, and even snakes!