[rose926]

Was wondering if someone could tell me what type of hawk this is. I came across it in my backyard perched on a branch so close I could have reached out and touched him. It was not in the least afraid of me .

[RogerO'T]

Red-tailed Hawk.

[Robert / Seattle]

Originally Posted by RogerO'T

Red-tailed Hawk.

Dark streaked belly band, perfect. Red-tailed Hawk indeed.

[ceasar]

If ri means Rhode Island and the the picture was taken thereabouts then it's a classic Eastern Juvenile RTH. Excellent pictures! It won't get it's red tail for a year or so.

Welcome to Bird forum!

Bob

[rose926]

Thanks so much for all the quick responses. Yes RI is Rhode Island. I was amazed at how close I was able to get to it, it couldnt have cared less that I was there. Again thanks!!

[nigelbastin]

hi juv red tailed hawk, probably someones trained hunting hawk (escaped).

[lockbreeze926]

Originally Posted by nigelbastin

hi juv red tailed hawk, probably someones trained hunting hawk (escaped).

Eh?

They are common raptors in the eastern US.

[nigelbastin]

because photo taken bird must of been very close , which i why i said prob escaped.

[Blaumeise]

Originally Posted by nigelbastin

because photo taken bird must of been very close , which i why i said prob escaped.

They can be quite tolerant of human proximity if they are used to living in the suburbs (where squirrels are plentiful - one of their favorite meals).

[dogowner]

Hi,
Last nite we had a red tailed hawk at our patio door. My small dog was going crazy.

could it be that he knows my dog was in the house and was trying to get it, or that he saw his reflection in the glass and thought it was another bird?
strange.
The hawks have been around for years, but I've never given thought to them coming after my dog, who is 15 pounds.
But having the thing come close to my house scares me to death.
I opened the door to shoo him away, and he didn't budge.

Now i go out with my dog in the yard. But I am wondering if the hawk will swoop down even with me there.

[deshojo]

I don't think your dog would be at risk from a hawk. They're pretty well aware of what they can consider prey, and it wouldn't include a 15 pound predator with big teeth on that list. I'd say you're pretty safe youself too.
It's far more likely that it was investigating reflections in the glass.

Did you see the hawk approach the door, or did you just find it stood there?
If you found it already there, then one possibility is that the hawk may have flown into the door, seeing the reflection of your garden, and stunned itself. It's not uncommon with glass patio doors. That would explain why it would not budge when you went out, it was possibly semi-conscious.

If so, you can get black silhouette stickers of birds of prey to stick on the glass. They allow the birds to focus on the door and not just see the reflection, and should prevent a repeat incident.

Cheers,
Matt

[jbm32206]

I agree, that it had more than likely hit the glass and stunned itself...which of course, that happening would set the dog off too. The hawk would know better than to try and tackle taking your dog. What an interesting sight that must've been.