Week 12 – Cooper’s Hawk

I am happy to announce this is the first weekly photo post since I successfully defended my Master’s thesis in the Raptor Biology department at Boise State University! Since my degree is in raptor biology, it seemed fitting that this weeks photo must be of a raptor (not that I need anymore incentive to take raptor photos). Raptors of all kinds are setting up breeding territories and beginning to lay eggs across North America, and the Cooper’s Hawks of Boise Idaho are no different. Along the riparian area of Hull’s Gulch next to the Foothills Learning Center lies a well established Cooper’s Hawk breeding territory. The male can be seen and heard daily giving his territorial call, and I have started to notice the female hanging around more in the last week. Last week, after taking some 1st through 4th graders on a “Habitat: It’s For the Birds!” hike in the foothills, I noticed one of the adults perched in one of the conifers right next to the learning center building. The bird did not seem to be bothered much by my brief presence, except for the occasional menacing glance in my direction…

Adult Cooper’s Hawk. Photograph by Neil Paprocki.

All of the previous 52-week blog photos can be found at the Wild Lens blog or on Flickr.