Yesterday I encountered this big bird in a tree and I’m pretty sure that it is a hawk, probably a Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus). I was a happy that he was perched relatively low in the tree, so that I could get a relatively normal perspective view of his head and body. His coloration doesn’t match exactly any of the photo identification keys I looked at, so I am not one hundred percent sure of the identification. The photo is a bit soft and grainy, because of the distance and lighting, but I like that fact that I was able to get a relatively unobstructed view of this beautiful bird.
Hawk in a tree
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Mike,
Its back looks somewhat mottled with white. Perhaps it is a juvenile Bald Eagle? See this link from Cornell:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/id
That would be really cool if it were a juvenile Bald Eagle. I just don’t know my identification features well enough to be able to tell from the posture, color, beaks, etc. Maybe someone with more experience will weigh in.
I’m not good with bird ID, but it’s certainly has that eagle look.
On of my fellow bloggers just posted a photo of a red-tailed hawk that looks a lot like my bird. Whatever he is, I like his look!
Here the link to the photo of the red-tailed hawk.