Sharp-shinned Hawks are an Accipiter, a large group of hawks generally called “sparrowhawks” in Eurasia and includes goshawks. They have short, broad wings and a long tail that make them highly maneuverable. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a forest hunter and uses this maneuverability to hunt down small birds. They are a small hawk. The males are about 10 inches (25 cm) long and the females can be up to 13 inches (33 cm) in length. That is roughly the size of a Blue Jay. For readers in Europe or Asia, the European Blackbird and Indian Roller are common birds of this size.
I had some close up looks at these two birds while out for walk. Several Blue Jays took exception to the presence of the hawk and were harassing it. When I first saw the hawk it was perched on a low stump.
Is that a wary look?
He flew to a nearby tree and was joined by three Blue Jays who were obviously not pleased with him being there.
This Jay looked him over and scolded him. You can see how close they are in size.
The Jays chased the hawk out of the tree, back to the tree and finally out of the area. The chase took place through the trees so I could not capture the action with my camera unfortunately. This is the last time the hawk perched before beating a retreat for good.
Birds in My Viewfinder 