[TN-Bird] accipiter id - new question for me
- From: Charlie <cmmbirds@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Birdchat <birdchat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,TN-Bird <TN-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 18:44:32 -0800 (PST)
Hi folks,
Today my wife Tracey and I were wondering where all the birds were.
The last few weeks our rural/suburban yard in Maryville, Tennessee
has had hundreds of birds. Nothing exciting, but nice all the same -
Juncos, Purple Finches, House Finches, American Goldfinches,
White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-throated
Sparrows. The usual far.
Then as I was doing dishes, I looked up to see a hawk land right
above one of our feeders. Ok, now I see where all the birds are!
This guy was ultra-cooperative. Sat in full sunlight not 20 feet
from us. Stayed long enough to get the binoculars. Then the camera.
Then the tripod. Then the Swarovski scope for digiscoping. I had
to check his feet to see he wasn't nailed there or anything. He
preened, he looked this way and that. My coffee got cold. Then he
flew - about 3 yards, atop the post to which our suet feeder is
attached. Finaly, after a total of at least 20 minutes, he left.
We decided it was an adult male Sharp-shinned Hawk (SSHA). Small red
eyes set far forward. Check. Top of head just slightly darker than
rest of dorsum. Check. No pale band behind head. Check. Very thin
yellow legs. Check. Fine rufous banding across the breast and
abdomen, rufus cheeks, equal dark and light bands on tail. It was
all there.
So then we got out the field guides to see if there was anything to
be learned of this entertaining occasion. Went throught the usual
field guides and also Kaufmann's "Advanced Birding." But "Raptors of
the World" gave me pause for thought. The illustrations of the
different subspecies of SSHA stunned me. I've only ever birded south
of Texas once, and didn't see this species. I had no idea what
variability there is. Separating this guy from Cooper's was harder
than from it's conspecifics.
We were sure of the ID, but then I flipped a page and saw it's twin -
a Eurasian species called Northern Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus.) I
can't tell you what the differences between Sharpie and this bird
are, aside from geography and page number. Has either species ever
been recorded on the "wrong" side of the pond? Were they ever
considered conspecific? Why aren't they now? Since the Sharpie is
stronly migratory, and the Eurasian Kestrel has been found in the US,
isn't it conceivable that the Sharpie could end up in Europe? The
range map for the Northern Sparrowhawk appears to show that it, too
is heavily migratory - so couldn't it possibly show up here? If so,
would anyone ever know?
Food for thought.
Good birding,
Charlie
=====
**************************************************
Charlie Muise, Senior Naturalist
Now living in Maryville, TN
Still working in Great Smoky Mountains
National Park
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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