Cooper's looks like it would be a possibility, although this fellow definitely had facial markings that resemble pics of brown gyrfalcons I've found laying around the internets (eg http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/gyrfalcon.htm) more than these Cooper's pics.
I THINK she was around the right size. Wikipedia says "This species is a very large falcon, about the same size as the largest buteos... In dimensions, gyrfalcons lie between a large Peregrine Falcon and a hawk in general structure; they are unmistakably falcons with pointed wings, but are stockier, broader-winged, and longer-tailed than the Peregrine."
The wings/flight style really looked falconish to me, and this definitely was not a peregrine. It looked...roughly the size of a red-shouldered? I wish I was better at bird IDs!
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-08-28 10:45 pm (UTC)I THINK she was around the right size. Wikipedia says "This species is a very large falcon, about the same size as the largest buteos... In dimensions, gyrfalcons lie between a large Peregrine Falcon and a hawk in general structure; they are unmistakably falcons with pointed wings, but are stockier, broader-winged, and longer-tailed than the Peregrine."
The wings/flight style really looked falconish to me, and this definitely was not a peregrine. It looked...roughly the size of a red-shouldered? I wish I was better at bird IDs!