An Accipiter in Falcon-land

Reports of the new Peregrine in town are bringing out the watchers in greater numbers. No fewer than seven fans of the Kodak falcons were on hand today, including regulars Barb, Carol P, Dana, Larry O'heron, Lisa McKeown & Shaky. It didn't hurt that the weather was much more hospitable than the past two days, with calm winds, blue skies and plenty of sun that kept the temperatures in the mid 50's F (low 10's C). The unseasonable weather didn't bring us any luck with sighting either Sabrina or the adult female newcomer. Neither was to be found for the entire lunch hour.

A not unwelcome consolation prize was an immature Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii). It perched atop some railing on the Genesee Brewing Co. building on the east bank of the river gorge. After a sneaky and unsuccessful attack on a Rock Dove, it settled higher up and did some preening:
          

With all the pigeons on the Brewery wise to its presence the Coop took wing, alternately flapping and gliding. To our delight and good fortune, it passed overhead, allowing for some great views:
          

     

Now, Cooper's Hawks are fairly common, but since they're so often seen in woodland settings it can be difficult to photograph them in flight, so this was an unexpected treat for me. It headed downtown, panicking the flocks of pigeons into dark roiling clouds all along its route. On a return trip a few minutes later I took a few shots that show its white underside and the rounded tail that's often used to cinch the ID:
          

There was not much else to see, and plenty of work waiting for me so I left at 1:00. The weather and welcome photographic subject made for a pleasant lunch hour indeed. We've had only about 1/6^th the snowfall we'd normally expect in the Rochester area and the El Niño-inspired temperatures are 20 degrees F above normal. With such conditions it seems there will be plenty more opportunities for birding and photography in the coming weeks.