Osprey or Hawk?

[JayR]

My first CLOSE encounter with a bird of prey. Is this a hawk or an osprey? I am not sure. I need to get one of the birding books.

I found this guys at Marymoor Park last month. Late late evening with not much light. The shots were underexposed and I had to bump up EV in NC by as much as +1.0EV. I think they turned out well considering the conditions and the underexposure.

He was perched on a 25ft tree trunk perch. I got right underneath him and he posed for a minute before he flew away. Unfortunately I couldn't get any shots of him flying as I was surrounded by trees and when he toook off I couldn't see him.

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Shot with the 70-200VR @ 200mm. I added +1EV, USM, and a +8 contrast boost in Nikon Capture.

 

[Flew]

Awesome shots Jay. Really get the adrenalin flowing, huh?

It's definitely not an Osprey, but whatever it is, it's a beauty. :wink:

 

[JayR]

Thanks for the comments, Frank.

It was definitely an adrenaline rush. To tell you the truth, he was looking right down on me and I thought that he is going to swoop down on me and put a hole in my head. :smile:

Looking at other pictures in the forum, I think this might be a hawk and not an osprey.

 

[PGB]

Its a Hawk. An Osprey has white or grey legs that are much bigger.

Excellent captures btw!

 

[greyflash]

Nice captures all Jay.

 

[DavidM]

Definitely a hawk and not an osprey. Possibly a juvenile that's transitioning to adult plumage, from the looks of things. But I'm not the expert here -- there's plenty of folks who could give you a better ID than me.

Nice captures, though! The 70-200 is one of my favorite lenses in my kit. I'm guessing you probably like yours, too. :smile:

 

[bfjr]

Great shot my favorite birds
It is a Hawk from the look a Juvi red shoulder hawk and really nice looking one

 

[jfenton]

Juvenile RTH

That's what it looks like to me as well from some that I've seen in Florida.

 

[JayR]

I appreciate all the comments.

I am going to buy a bird id book. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good one?

Thanks.

 

[MontyDog]

#1064 - You have an error in your SQL syntax;

 

[Flew]

I appreciate all the comments.

I am going to buy a bird id book. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good one?

Thanks.

I got two, and like the Sibley very well. Here's a link to the book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679451226/002-7002248-1692004?v=glance

 

[Baywing]

I'm almost positive it is an immature Red Tail Hawk. You can still see a bit of blue in the eye, a sign that it was born earlier this year.