big birds in my trees

Anyone know what kind of birds these 2 are? They have nested in one of my trees. They are pretty big, maybe a couple feet head to tail. I would really like to know the real name or species etc to learn about them. I am in California I think they are some kind of hawk but don't really have a clue....

I shot this the other night, just before dark..... Might be able to get some better ones if I see em in the day

 

I believe those are Cooper's Hawks.

 

ahah, thanks. I did some googling and found this page

http://www.geocities.com/tgrey41/Pages/CoopersHawkp.html

yep these are them - thanks.

I watched them do their mating ritual last year in the cedar tree in the front.... It was nice to see them re appear and build their nest in the back.

 

thats pretty cool, to have birds like that nesting near you. Gives nice photo ops

 

i don't know man, those guys are a little more than just birds.

i hope you don't have any small dogs..

 

I don't know if I would have put a smiley after that one...these primarily feed on other birds, but they really will take cats, small dogs, rabbits, skunks, etc.

 

They could also be a Sharp-shinned Hawk - very similar to Cooper's Hawks. I had a pair of Sharp-shinned that used to frequent our yard until the Harris' Hawks moved in!

 

they don't have the traditional tail of a predator bird. They look young too. Don't let your cat out if you have one, they'll eat it for lunch....as an appetizer

 

Congrats, very lucky to have them in your back yard. More likely than not, they will come back every year. So, lucky you!

 

I saw them again today atop the cedar tree in the front yard, as the sun was setting. I was on the bar b que just pulling the fish off so couldn;t go grab my gear. Hope to get some better shots soon, with my new 2.8 300mm lens. But with my new baby, and my business thime is so tight I haven;t got to play with the lens yet.... The shot above was taken with my f4 300mm just before dark.................

 

One of em came over to the front yard tree this afternoon when I was unloading the truck and had my camera handy........ This guy is pretty big

 

I had thought the same thing as well. After looking them up, the head proportion to the body is definitely a Cooper.

Keep an eye on these guys. If you are seeing them regularly, that means they are likely hunting around as well. You may be able to get some good swoop & kill pics out of it.