Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

I spotted this beautiful bird on a calm, cold, morning just before sunrise. I grabbed my camera and got some quick shots. It wasn't too long before he made an attack. It was an awesome sight, and I use that word literally. He swooped down to a bush, frightened a small bird, and gave chase. I lost him in the ensuing pursuit as he and the other bird weaved in and out of trees and brush farther and farther away. Then all was calm, and the woods were perfectly still again. It was something.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Cooper’s Hawk was first described in 1828 by Charles Bonaparte, a French naturalist and ornithologist who was the nephew of Napoleon. It was named after William Cooper, who collected the first specimen.

It captures a bird with its feet, and will squeeze it repeatedly to kill it, instead of biting the prey to kill it in the fashion of falcons. It has also been known to drown its prey.

They capture prey from cover or while flying quickly through dense vegetation. This can be dangerous, a recent study found that 23 percent had healed fractures in the bones of the chest, especially of the furcula or wishbone.

A group of hawks has many collective nouns, including a "boil", "knot", "spiraling", "stream", and "tower" of hawks.

"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold. From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it afar off" (Job 39:26-29).

This hawk was a majestic sight, and even somewhat terrifying. So quiet, so beautiful, so majestic, yet so deadly and lethal. An incredible creature. Does it not display a piece of our God's silent beauty, His majestic power, His awesome Person? It was a privilege to behold.

Work Cited 

What Bird. 21 Dec. 2010, <http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/36/_/
      Coopers_Hawk.aspx>.