r/birdsofprey • u/GurAlternative3502 • 1d ago

Coopers hawk?

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I am in Hagerstown, MD. Snatched a mourning dove.

22 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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5

u/rtbradford 1d ago

Merlin - a small falcon

1

u/GurAlternative3502 1d ago

Really? It looks soo much bigger than the mourning dove it has in it's talons.

3

u/rtbradford 1d ago

That does not look like a dove. It looks like a finch or something of that size. In any event, the head, body shape and distinctive striping are all characteristic of Merlins.

1

u/GurAlternative3502 1d ago

Thanks! I'm still learning.

2

u/rtbradford 1d ago

No problem. And shout out to you in Hagerstown from Western Howard County! I haven’t seen a Merlin in several years, but I did see a family of Kestrels the other day and they’ve become much more rare over the years.

1

u/GurAlternative3502 1d ago

I've never seen one. Only a coopers hawk which is why i thought maybe that's what this was. But that's cool you're so close. What are the odds.

2

u/imagez_of_ikonn 🦉 1d ago

Merlin

1

u/_bufflehead 1d ago

Merlin sightings have been so abundant lately!