I think your bird is a Cooper's Hawk. It is clearly an adult and there 
is no sign of the bold white supercilium characteristic of the adult 
Northern Goshawk.

Fred Pratt

On 8/14/2019 9:56 AM, R Stewart wrote:
> Thanks for the input on this ID. More opinions welcome. The dilemma in my
> mind is Coopers or Goshawk.
>
> This was reactive birding at its best! A heard flurry of mourning doves
> from my platform feeder, a LARGE gray backed hawk on the ground, a grab of
> my camera. a giz ID of Gos based on size and gray color,  a photo through
> the window and gone. Then - what's the ID?
>
> This bird was BIG - immediately ruling out Sharpie in my mind. Lacking a
> distinct facial/head pattern of a Goshawk, I considered Coopers. As I
> continue to contemplate and look at images, the Gos seems to show heavy
> streaking on the throat in all plumages with a distinct eye line.  My bird
> has that whitish chin with a hint of russet on front and legs. I am now
> guessing this is a Coopers lacking the above characteristics of a Gos.    I
> won't charge the ID in ebird yet!
>
> Ruth
> E. Dorset
>
> On Tue, Aug 13, 2019 at 4:53 PM Jane Stein <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> I agree with Bob that this is not a Goshawk, but differ on some of the
>> details.
>>
>> The absence of a very contrasty broad white eyestripe definitely
>> eliminates Gos, as does the hint of orange feathering on the leg.  There is
>> what appears to be a faint white eyestripe on your bird, which is
>> characteristic of Sharpie, but it also appears to have a very dark cap,
>> which would make the lighter feathering below stand out and look like an
>> eyestripe, but the dark cap is characteristic of a Coop.
>>
>> Delving into accipiter eye color is not for the faint of heart because it
>> varies by age and even from bird to bird.  First-year birds have a yellow
>> eye and older birds more orangey, but other than that, it's just not
>> consistent enough to draw conclusions from.
>>
>> This is an adult accipiter given its basically solid and unmottled back,
>> but whether Coop or Sharpie is hard to tell, particularly given the absence
>> of anything to gauge its size by.  My vote would be for Coop mainly because
>> of the bird's sturdy-looking legs, which we don't have enough of a view of
>> to be certain.  Sharpies of any age have what we call "toothpick legs," and
>> the little bit of lower leg  we can see in the pic sure doesn't look
>> toothpicky.  The absence of a crest or crown, which is what I assume Bob
>> means by a "blocky head," doesn't necessarily mean this isn't a Coop.
>> Coops have a crest they can raise at the back of the head, but if they
>> don't raise it, you can't see it.  So the crest, if visible, marks a bird
>> as a Coop for sure, but the absence of it in a single shot doesn't
>> eliminate the possibility.
>>
>> Distinguishing Coops from Sharpies is tough, especially in a single
>> photograph!
>>
>> Jane
>> (Shoreham)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, 13 Aug 2019 15:13:16 -0400, R Stewart <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>> Need help IDing the hawk photo attached.
>>>
>>>
>>> My yard birds - 324 Morse Hill Rd. E. Dorset, Bennington, Vermont, US
>>> Aug 12, 2019 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
>>> Protocol: Stationary
>>> Comments:     Feeder observation throughout the day. Quick hawk visit
>> about
>>> 6:30.
>>> 12 species
>>>
>>> Mourning Dove  4
>>> Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
>>> Northern Goshawk  1     A brief visit next to feeder. At least enough
>> time
>>> to get a picture and a fly away view.  Only saw back . Long barred tail
>> as
>>> it flew away from my viewpoint.  Need confirmation
>>> Northern Flicker  1
>>> Red-eyed Vireo  1
>>> Blue Jay  4
>>> Black-capped Chickadee  2
>>> House Wren  1
>>> American Robin  2
>>> American Goldfinch  4
>>> Red-winged Blackbird  8
>>> Northern Cardinal  2
>>>
>>> View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58967838
>>>
>>> This report was generated automatically by eBird v3
>>> (https://ebird.org/home)