This hawk flew right through my yard and landed on an Oak tree but by the time I got my camera and found him in the thick tree, he flew off farther onto this pine tree about 50 yards away. I couldn't get much of a shot of him and he stayed in this one position so the only shot I got was a bad shot of this one position. Just curious to know who paid me a visit in the East Bay, CA, ID help please. Thanks.
Definitely an Accipiter. I'd lean more towards a Cooper's Hawk, however. The other possibility it a Sharp-shinned hawk.
This is not a goshawk, as there is no white eyeline, for example. The size of the bird may be diagnostic. In the case of the Cooper's Hawk, we'd expect a much larger bird than the sharp-shinned, although a large female sharp-shinned could be larger than a small male Cooper's. Did you get the feel that this bird was about the size of a crow, or perhaps much smaller?
Thanks all. From the quick closer glimpse I got, I'd say it was the size of a crow. It was flying through low tree covers in and around my yard before it landed on that taller pine. And it was likely hunting for those smaller birds (titmouse, bushtit, finch, chickadee, junco) I've been attracting to my bird studio. If it visits again, I'll try to get a better shot of him.
