I know the included picture is really bad, but it's the best shot I could get.

I'm trying to determine what type of hawk is in the picture. I believe this is the same type of hawk I've seen sporadically since April. I've seen it twice this week. I've seen it sitting in the trees behind my house. I live in a semi-rural wooded area.

According to the local wildlife conservation, the Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-Shinned Hawk are winter residents in this area, despite what my 2002 Birds of the Mid-Atlantic Handbook indicates. The conservation only lists the Red-Tailed and Red-shouldered hawks as permanent residents. This bird doesn't like either one of those, in my opinion.

Additionally, I didn't realize until the other day that I've barely seen any birds or squirrels all summer, which is highly unusual. I almost always hear Mourning Doves, but I haven't heard them in months. The other day, I saw a hawk try to catch a small squirrel on my roof.

I'm thinking that this has to be a juvenile Cooper's Hawk, but I'm just not sure. I saw it perch on my deck for a minute (before I had the camera ready) and it appears to be three times the size of a Mourning Dove, which would mean it weighs around 12 ounces. That would most likely mean it's a Cooper's Hawk.

I've spent the last two hours looking at different web sites trying to identify this thing by sight and sound. It has to be a Cooper's Hawk, right?