Today’s sun made the air seem warmer than it actually was.
We took a long-ish walk through Red Wing Park, where we heard more birds and animals than we saw.
A cluster of early blooms reminded us that spring isn’t all that far away.
I found several sunlit doorways.
On the way home, we circled a field three times after spotting a pair of hawks. I didn’t get a very good look at them, nor a very good picture. I thought, at first, that they were Cooper’s Hawks, but maybe they were Red-tailed Hawks? Is there a way to tell for certain, using only the information in this picture?
I’ve really missed the sun, and I hope it decides to stay for a while.
Rae Spencer 
so nice to see the sun.. its been here so briefly lately. amazing that the camellia is opening up this early.. re the hawk, I find them very hard to identify, but Red-tailed is much bigger than Coopers.
How beautiful, Rae. You find so many treasures. Do you and Todd go together?
J
Yes! We’re both trying to get more exercise.
Hi Rae!
When it comes to hawks, the first thing you need to do is figure out if it’s a buteo (i.e. Red-tailed Hawk), accipiter (i.e. Cooper’s Hawk) or falcon (i.e. Merlin). [I am assuming it’s not a harrier as they prefer open fields rather than forest.] Their shapes are quite different, especially the wing length and shape, and the tail length. Your bird looks as though it has a short tail relative to its body, which would make it a buteo. It looks like a Red-tailed Hawk to me, but I’m not sure which other ones are common in your area – Red-shouldered, perhaps? I have only ever seen two perching, so I’m not too good at identifying those yet!
I hope this gives you a starting point for the next time you see a hawk!
The tail was what bothered me, when I looked at the picture. Red-tailed Hawks are common around here, and I’m guessing that’s the likely answer here. I may try visiting the field again, in a couple of days.