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Cooper's Hawk at Aspetuck Land Trust

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I spent the 4th in Fairfield, CT with my boyfriend Steve's family. On Saturday we went for a walk with his mom and dog Toby to Aspetuck Land Trust in Easton, CT. Aspetuck is a really great spot- we usually go there whenever we're in Fairfield.

(I believe this is a Cooper's Hawk because of the white spots on its back.) *UPDATE: Thank you to Chris from Tails of Birding for sharing this helpful insight. He believes this is actually a Broad-winged Hawk because "Tail is short, beak appears dark, eye appears dark, and a brownish hood - all suggest a broadie. Cooper's would have a long, banded tail, lighter eye (if juvie - red if adult) and bigger head." Thank you Chris!

I didn't see any other interesting birds during the trip, just the usual suspects.

I did get some great nature photos though.

Newt:

Water snake:

Tadpole:
Water spider:

And some wildflowers (using the macro feature on my camera):

Orange Butterfly Weed (thanks to Kelly from Red and the Peanut for the ID on this!)

Sunset from Steve's parents' yard:


(This is for you Meg!) Here's Steve's family dog Toby. I actually have a picture of him at Aspetuck Land Trust, but not on this computer...

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Comments

Kelly said…
Cool! I've never seen a newt swimming in water. I'd like to see one. The Orange Butterfly Weed is very pretty...
July 15, 2009 at 9:45:00 PM PDT
Chris Petrak said…
I hesitate to question your hawk ID, because I find perching hawks often more difficult than those on the wing - but - I think your hawk is a Broad-winged, not Cooper's. Tail is short, beak appears dark, eye appears dark, and a brownish hood - all suggest a broadie. Cooper's would have a long, banded tail, lighter eye (if juvie - red if adult) and bigger head. But I'm willing to discuss the ID with you and others.
July 16, 2009 at 6:06:00 AM PDT
meg said…
i want to see toby!!! any pics of him? :)
July 16, 2009 at 6:13:00 AM PDT
Cathleen Voss said…
@Kelly- Thanks for the ID on the orange flower!

@Chris- Thanks for your expert insight! I'm terrible with hawks. I know RTHs and that's about it. I'll update the copy of my post to let my readers know.

@Meg- I'll see what I can do :)
July 16, 2009 at 7:06:00 AM PDT
Dawn Fine said…
Great pics..ohhh that sunset!
Isn't it nice to have all these great birders..bloggers to help with ID..
That pup is adorable..
Take Care!
Till we meet again!
July 16, 2009 at 5:15:00 PM PDT
Cathleen Voss said…
@Dawn- Thanks for the kind words. I'm grateful for my BwBTC friends every day :) They've helped me learn so much about birding! Hope you and Jeff are doing well- happy travels!
July 28, 2009 at 10:32:00 AM PDT
Chris Thomas said…
Hi!
Great Pics, are these from Trout Brook Valley preserve? I'm ALT webmaster (and board member) can I post your pic to our site?

TIA,

Chris Thomas
request4info@aspetucklandtrust.org
September 28, 2009 at 3:42:00 PM PDT
Chris Thomas said…
reat pics, I'm webmaster for ALT,
can we use these on our site?
TIA,
Chris Thomas
September 28, 2009 at 3:44:00 PM PDT
Cathleen Voss said…
@Chris Thomas- Thanks! Sure- you can use them on the Aspetuck site. They're actually from the Pond View and Island Pond Preserve areas in Easton. Let me know if you need any more information.
September 28, 2009 at 6:42:00 PM PDT
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