SW Florida USA - waders & Merlin(?) (1 Viewer)

[Fandango739]

All seen today at the Estero Bay Preserve.
1) ? Yellowlegs & Long-billed Dowitcher?
2) Second photo of ? Yellowlegs
3 & 4) Wilson's Snipe?
5 & 6) Merlin?

Many thanks!

 

[Butty]

1. Greater yellowlegs and dowitcher.
2. Greater yellowlegs.
3-4. Wilson's snipe.
5-6. An Accipiter, probably Cooper's hawk (big bill).

 

[Fandango739]

Could be a Cooper's, it just seemed a bit small for that.

 

[Butty]

Judging the size of a lone bird is notoriously unreliable.

 

[KC Foggin]

Hope you don't mind but I tried to lighten your image a - image2240 to make I D a bit easier. I also think it's a Cooper's

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

With that big head? Coop for me, too.

 

[birdmeister]

How about immature Red-shouldered Hawk for the raptor? I'm having trouble getting Cooper's, especially from the 2nd image on the 1st post showing longer wings. Most images also show Red-shoulder's primary "crescents" to me.

 

[Butty]

How about immature Red-shouldered Hawk for the raptor?

This is a good point. Translucent primary-patches are indeed apparent, which I hadn't noticed. The feature which had been bothering me is the blobby-looking underparts-pattern which is not typical immature Cooper's hawk and would indeed be good for immature red-shouldered hawk - but the photo-quality is too low to put much reliance on that. The tail does look long though . . .