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     At the NCSU dairy farm, on two separate occasions this month I've seen
a hawk land high in the largest tree close to the duck pond.  If it wasn't
the same bird both times, there are identical twins hanging around the
farm.
     The first time I and the other birder present thought we saw a white
rump and put the bird down as a harrier.  I wasn't completely satisfied but
after looking through all of my guides, couldn't come up with anything
better.
     However, when the bird appeared yesterday, I looked at it from several
different positions, trying to get as good a view as possible.  I only
glimpsed it as it landed in the tree but I did watch it through binoculars
(but without really good focus) as it flew away.  If it had a white rump, I
couldn't see it.
     The bird was slightly larger than a crow, brown with several rows of
small white spots on the wings, very fine dark brown striping on its head,
throat, and the portion of the breast that I could see.  The basic color on
the underside was white.  There were heavier dark brown blotches on the
flanks below the wings.  The tail was long, not obscured by the folded
wings, and showed broad black and brown bands.  The tail was quite rounded
but if there was a white band at the tip I couldn't see it through my
scope.
     Now that I've gone through all of my guides again and consulted the
Patuxtent center guide as well, the best call appears to be immature
Cooper's hawk.
     Because I've seen the hawk twice, I expect that others have seen it as
well.  I'd like to know if my revised id, immature Cooper's hawk, is
correct.

Bob

--------------------------------------------------
Robert C. Perkins, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Methodist College, Fayetteville, NC 28311
910-630-7037     rperkins@methodist.edu