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WildLookout

Opportunity scores are planning aids, not sighting guarantees. How scoring works

Wildlife welfare comes before any photograph.

Sightings from eBird
Weather by Open-Meteo
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Tiles by OpenFreeMap · Terrain from AWS Terrain Tiles

Raptor

Cooper's hawk

Astur cooperii

A fast, agile woodland hawk that hunts songbirds in parks, forest edges and backyards across lowland Whatcom and Skagit counties all year.

Seasonality

Peaks in January. Present all year; slightly easier to find in fall and winter when migrants and young birds join the residents.

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Behavior

Hunts by ambush, dashing through trees and around buildings to surprise small birds.
Often visits backyard feeders, where songbirds gather predictably.
Perches inside the canopy rather than in the open, so it's easy to overlook.

Photography tips

Encounters are brief; keep the camera ready with a fast shutter and a wide autofocus area.
Forest light is dim, so raise ISO before the bird appears rather than after.

Field ethics

Pairs nest in wooded parks and neighborhoods in spring; if a hawk calls repeatedly or swoops at you, you're near a nest and should leave.

Where to look

Tennant LakeWhatcom County · Peaks in January
Whatcom Falls ParkWhatcom County · Peaks in January
Stimpson Family Nature ReserveWhatcom County · Peaks in January