Jumping back to Christmas Eve for this pic.

I had stopped by an area open space where I have had good luck with a variety of raptors. While I had seen Cooper’s hawks in the area, they were always elusive and quick to depart the area long before I could get a shot.

On this morning, one decided it was perfectly fine with the human intruding on its space. It gave me a ton of nice poses, almost entirely ignoring me and staying in the same spot for more than an hour.

The best part about these hawks I tend to think are those crazy eyes. So amazing!

A fun encounter yesterday afternoon. I was pulling my truck in the garage to change the oil on it (yes, I do it myself – haha) and I saw a relatively big bird fly onto my neighbor’s fence. Realizing what it was, I ran in and grabbed my camera, and managed a few shots of it.

This ferocious one was camped out next to my neighbor’s bird house and as Cooper’s love nothing more than a songbird for dinner, I am sure it was hoping for a meal. Unfortunately, a passing car scared it off without any real action to be seen.

These particular Cooper’s hawks have been in our neighborhood for a few years but I have only gotten pics of them a few times. Cooper’s have adapted very well to life in suburbia and are relatively common but not commonly seen as they prefer to hide themselves well within trees, waiting on their unsuspecting prey.

Just a very cool raptor posing proudly. These hawks are quite common but also very adept at staying buried in trees, out of sight. This is often done near suburban bird feeders where they wait to attack some smaller, unsuspecting little bird. This particular handsome fellow was quite willing to have its picture taken a few weeks ago, seen here taking a break from working on its nest.

A crazy fun encounter with this common but not-often-seen hawk and its perspective mate.

While photographing other birds at a lake this weekend, I kept hearing the unmistakable call of a Cooper’s. It was too much to resist, especially after catching a fleeting glimpse of it. I headed off in pursuit and eventually found this handsome fellow and his lady.

He was busy trying to impress her, gathering sticks and starting a new home. I observed them for a good hour, largely focusing on him as she was content to just sit and watch him work. He was very active, here, picking out the next stick to add to their home.

I absolutely love these guys although I have only photographed them a couple handfuls of times. Those ridiculous red eyes are absolutely fascinating to me.

You’ll find Cooper’s hawks across North America and they have learned to thrive in suburban areas. Oftentimes they take advantage of bird feeders, standing watch nearby, ready to swoop in and grab an unsuspecting dove, pigeon or starling. I have a pair in my neighborhood and have photographed them a couple of times but

This was a fun and surprise encounter! We have a family of Cooper’s hawks in our neighborhood but getting pics of them has been very elusive. I see them somewhat frequently but rarely where I can get a shot.

Yesterday morning, while my wife and I were enjoying coffee on the patio, one did a close flyby. Of course, I didn’t have my camera ready.

Later in the morning, I ran a quick errand and as I was coming back, one flew right in front of my truck and landed in a nearby tree. I ran home, grabbed my camera, and upon returning found the hawk was not in the tree but instead taking a bath in some standing water in the gutter!  Even better was that it didn’t mind me being right across the street from it and for 15 minutes I photographed it.

Certainly I would prefer a more natural setting but I won’t complain as these guys are just crazy cool with that beautiful plumage and those orange eyes.

Cooper’s have become well adapted to life in the city and it isn’t uncommon at all to find them in suburbia. They do prefer to stay well-hidden within trees so they aren’t often seen but they are there, watching, oftentimes preying on smaller birds.

So, I spent all morning out taking pics (or trying to!) and get nothing extraordinary. I come home, walk upstairs and I see the creature that gives me my best shots of the day in our backyard – a gorgeous Cooper’s hawk.

Initially it was sitting then it laid down as if guarding a kill. It flew off after a bit with nothing in its talons and at the spot it was, only a small pile of pine needles. Not sure what it thought it had caught.

Way cool to see these guys though. Those eyes are awesome! BTW, please excuse the dead grass you are seeing. That is a section of lawn we are preparing to xeriscape so I killed everything there.  😉

These are some of the coolest raptors you could hope to see. Their gray plumage is gorgeous and those eyes are nothing short of awesome!

These are another couple cool shots I recently unearthed as I was sorting through old pics. Taken back in April near a friend’s home where this guy and his mate were establishing their own home. We had tons of fun capturing pics as they worked. 

A tip from a friend (thank you, Patrick!) led me to a neighborhood not far from my house where a mated pair of these cool raptors is setting up a home in a backyard. They were coming and going, working on their nest and occasionally perching in a tree by the street. The male returned from one excursion and as I was snapping pictures, it hopped straight at me to another, closer branch.

It wasn’t till I got home and downloaded the pictures that I saw it had a kill firmly in its talon’s grasp – a small bird of some type. Even without these two pics, I was able to get my best images to date of this elusive hawk which certainly made for a fun encounter.

While not often seen, the Cooper’s Hawk is actually quite common. Typically associated with forests and woodlands, they have proven themselves to be very adaptable and indeed seem to thrive in suburban and urban environments. However, they usually opt to hang out within the cover of tree branches and leaves, not normally out in the open.