Red-Shouldered Hawk

I'm certainly not a Hawk Expert, so if anyone is and they know that this is actually not a Red-Tailed Hawk, I'd love to hear what type it is. I thought it looked closest to the Red-Tailed Hawks I found after searching 'hawks' on Google.

(This is actually a Red-Shouldered Hawk. My mother-in-law has a friend, who has a brother, who was a science teacher and knows his birds. So thanks to them for helping me correctly identify this amazing bird!) 1-13-09



My husband, thankfully, watched it land in the tree just outside our apartment window and said, "Erin, come check this out! Quick!" I was so excited that in my effort to keep the camera as still as possible, I was holding my breath and would only discover this when I felt as if I would pass out! It was crazy!!! What an amazing creature!




I was hoping to catch a shot of it in mid-flight when it took off, but I fumbled when it did and only caught shots of the surrounding buildings. Damn! I'm far from a career as a photographer for National Geographic.




I added this shot to give you an idea as to how BIG this bird actually was. It was overwhelming!