Cooper's Hawk

On my way home from work I saw this hawk come sailing in on the wind & perch right on the edge of the fence along the road. Unfortunately I had a car right behind me, so at the entrance up ahead I swung in & made a quick U turn but by the time I got back up to where he'd been, he was gone! As I
U turned back the way I'd been going, I saw him hopping from branch to branch up in the tree, so pulled back over & parked. I grabbed the camera & of course I didn't have the telephoto lens on, so just as I get it on & open the car door, off he flies! I was thinking "NOOOO", but just as I put the camera down & shut the door he circled back to the tree. I grabbed the camera again, got out & took 2 shots of him before he flew off. I had to crop it a bit, as I wasn't as close as I'd have liked! These are also known as "chicken hawks" because of their preference for barnyard fowl, although they also like squirrels, chipmunks & other birds. At one time people hunted these by the thousands, along with other species of hawks, causing their populations to decline! They've been steadily making a comeback though, & I love seeing the hawks out hunting! More detail in LARGE :)