This guy has been visiting the neighborhood daily and trying to get squirrels at the neighbor's feeder. Does anybody know what he might be? He doesn't match any in our bird books?

Where his pic????...lol...

Sorry I'll try again.

Is it an owl??

Some kind of an owl....looked in my bird book. It looks like it might be an eastern screech owl...maybe an immature one. I'm no expert,though.

Here is another pic with his head turned. No ears like an owl and wrong beak.

I bet that he is a hawk!
Beautiful bird!!

Looks like it could be an Broad winged Hawk.

Here are links to a website with pics. At first I thought it might be a Coopers hawk as they are pretty well known for hunting at bird feeders, but I don't think they are in Eastern US. And the Coopers hawk site gave a link to this broad winged hawk. Looks an awful lot like the picture here.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/id

when you find out, let me know; it's a pretty bird.

Different book......LOL. sharp-shinned hawk?

I think you're right.

Beautiful bird...and looks well fed too!

Pretty!
We have a red tail hawk who visits our feeder.

Sorry I'll try again.[/quote]

Look up a Saw Whet owl. A friend gets them n her area and looks like the pictures she sends me

It's an owl --- it has tufts for ears. Not all owls have big ears. We see those in our area.

Hi, my hubby is retired from the Forest Service, & he says it's some kind of horned owl, but not a Great Horned Owl. Hope this helps, great pics, thanks for sharing!...

No the wind is lifting up the feathers over his eyes. Look at her second pic. The beak is all wrong for an owl. First pic definitely does look like an owl but second pic there is no mistaking it is another type of raptor, most likely a hawk.

it is so hard to tell with his feathers all fluffed up he is so pretty

This is deffinately an owl. You can tell by the eyebrow feathers and his/her shape. What kind I am not sure.

LOL maybe a mama owl was playing around on the other side of the tracks!!!! LOL

:mrgreen:

That owl wouldn't be out hunting during the day; they hunt at night, that's why they have big eyes. We have decided it is a broad-winged hawk. He has left his spot now. The neighbor has seen him in his back yard and says he is definitely NOT an owl.

Looks like an owl to me.

red tailed hawks love of birds, last year i was looking out the window and I saw him come in a get a pretty red cardnal, I was so upset!

I agree with the broadwinged hawk...

Yes, I think it is a hawk. We have to really careful letting our dogs out in the early mornings and early evenings because they are predators and might catch our little dogs. We are almost paranoid about it. Here is one of our fur babies:

Yah, I had the dogs out this morning and talking to the neighbor while the hawk was watching us. You could see his head moving to look at us. I told the dogs not to stand in one place for too long. I have a great dane and a rottweiler :roll: :lol:

We have sharp shinned hawks around here that are very similar. Had one get one of my birds the other day

Yes, we have them too, but this guy is a lot bigger. I had a young sharp-shinned a couple years ago sitting on the ground behind the house. He hung out for a while then flew away never to be seen again; they are smaller than this guy.

Looks like what we call around our mountains, a chicken hawk. They are big and will steal your chickens or any small animal. They have been known to get little dogs too.

Okay - hawk wins....I'd been calling one like that an owl for years....LOL

Yes, the neighbor has seen him scoop down and get squirrels.

Owls have huge eyes more on the side of their head, and you rarely see them during the day. They also have tufts of feathers that look like ears sticking up. Their head is also much broader than a hawks. This guy is sitting on a high branch right out in the open where he can swoop down on anything. Obviously he is not worried about being seen or eaten. He was watching me take his picture.

he's a very cute, young barn owl...i love owls!

Looks like a young hawk to me...

I think your Broad winged hawk identification is right. It is definitely not an owl, though I can see why others think so. He is all puffed up and round because of the cold. Owls have huge eyes and definitely would not be hunting in he daytime, like one person said. The picture of him you got is wonderful... Beautiful sunny but cold day for you..

Julie Florida

He's either a hawk or a falcon.

That would have to be a very strong bird to lift a Rott!

looks like a barred owl in winter plumage.

Its a hawk, not sure just which one. Owls are rarely seen in the daytime.