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Sarasota News Leader May 10, 2013 Page 88 protagonist was spared that torment was be- it right off the bat was because this bird does cause the French army rescued him just in the not have a red tail until it is mature. On the nick of time. other hand, the immature Cooper's also has the same dark head. So, it is a Cooper's until I anxiously scanned the horizons of both Gulf you read that a Cooper's "is almost identical and Bay and with no French warships anto the Sharp-shinned Hawk. It is larger and chored anywhere near Siesta Key, I realized there was no rescue of me in sight. I accepted its tail is rounded rather than square, but it my fate but also decided to share it with my may be impossible to tell the difference by casual observation." Now, it is a Sharp-shinned readers. Hawk until you remember we are in the merry Today's column will instruct you how to iden- month of May and the Sharp-shinned Hawk is tify a Hawk in your neighborhood so that I do a seasonal winter resident. not have to. Nevertheless, by reading Stan Tekiela's Birds 1) Begin by narrowing your search to just of Florida: Field Guide, you have learned one a few species common to our area, i.e., the vitally important fact about the Sharp-shinned Red-shouldered (Florida subspecies, which is (other than the fact it is an accipiter, NOT a paler than the Northern and more likely to be buteo). Its "Common name comes from the found in coastal areas); the Red-tailed (large, sharp keel on the leading edge of its 'shin,' "except when small"; prefers woodlands though it is actually below rather than above and meadows); Cooper's; and Sharp-shinned the bird's ankle on the tarsus bone of foot. The Hawks (they are everywhere!). tarsus in most birds is round." But you already 2) Go to any birds-of-Florida book and study knew that, didn't you? Hawk photos. I particularly enjoy starting OK. Despite the fact that the bird does not with Florida's Fabulous Birds — Land Birds: sport a red shoulder until maturity, your deTheir Stories. It is part of a nature series writcision is now down to the Red-shouldered ten to inspire readers to learn about our wildlife and then to explore it further. The large Hawk. It is time to confirm your conclusion photos and text are outstanding. They draw in by visiting a very informative and a more inthe amateur's interest and keep it by highlight- depth source. ing the serious, as well as oftentimes charm- 4) Visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Oops! ingly ridiculous nature of the subjects. The This website describes the Eastern Red-shoulseries is sold at Davidson's Drugs and at local dered Hawk, not our paler Florida morph. bookstores. And when you have failed to ID However, if you scroll down to the bottom of your Hawk, you can turn to the Screech-Owl the page, you will find beautiful, slide-show (that's me!) pages and see how adorable our photos of the adult and immature Red-shoulowlets are! dered as well as those of "Similar Species." 3) Aha! Now you have decided you saw a Red- "Similar Species" includes the Broad-shoultailed Hawk and the reason you could not ID dered Hawk. Had you forgotten that possibil-