Happy New Year!

[elleng]

Overlooking river, southern MD

[Yonnie3]

1. and to you too!

I hear "where's the fish?" when I look at your photo.

I had an immature Coopers Hawk at the kitchen window a few years back. It was talking up a storm and pecking at the window. I guess it thought its refection was its mama. For him it wasn't "where's the fish," but "where's the frog?" He moved on but his parents stayed there.

I'm in the city now, I've seen no birds of prey.

[2naSalit]

2. That's a beautiful shot!

And it looks to be a girl. The lips of the beak reach back behind the pupil of its eye and is probably pretty big.

[elleng]

3. Thanks.

Didn't know that, about judging the gender.

[2naSalit]

4. It took me a while to realize that and

Was confirmed by an ornithologist. The females are larger by about 30-40%, so when you see a mating pair, the big one is the female. They are hard to discern but the lips of the beak is the bets way when there's only one.

[elleng]

5. I know that about size, have seen it via 'my' osprey pair

here in southern MD (WAITING for their return from south/central America @ St. Pats Day.) I'll have to study lips.