So we have this raptor who perched on a dead tree on our neighbor’s property, only about 20yds from our back door. Every morning and evening. Then, one morning, there were four of them on the tree. This morning, three of them were “playing” in our yard, flitting from one tree to the ground to another tree. Finally got some photos this evening, but no zoom. Our best guess is Northern Goshawk.
Ken,
A goshawk is readily identifiable by its red eyes. It is a weird thing to see. I can’t tell from your pictures. Certainly the plumage and size seems correct, but then a lot of the hawks look similar and there is a wide enough variation in the species that you really have to see the truly identifiable characteristics.
So my answer is that it could be a goshawk! I wonder if they were young ones? I don’t think it is usual to see more than one or two at a time.
Bernie
Ken, is there any chance that these are Northern Harriers? The striped tail seems to be an indication. Also, how were they flying? My wife’s field guide says that one of the easy ways to identify a harrier is their flight pattern, which is close to the ground.
Bernie
my first thought was a cooper’s hawk; but i don’t think adult coopers have spots on their backs. however, immature cooper’s do.
as for the bird in the yard, i think i’s a cooper’s hawk. they are known for diving down into the ground and will dive into bushes, etc, and literally chase prey on foot. they are a common hawk of the woodlands, and have a rounded off banded tail.
northern harriers have owl-like face discs and soar in the air similar to turkey vultures. they tend to hunt and “hang out” in marshes.
goshawks i don’t know much about, as they are not a bird of Ohio. but, here is a pic of an immature goshawk
immature cooper’s
i think this is what bird you’ve got in the yard.
here is an adult norther harrier–the face is very distinctive…and feathers more coppery and charcoal as opposed to banded gray and black.
here is another shot of a norther harrier (i think this one is immature)
Excellent photos! Cooper’s Hawk seems the most likely. I’m guessing we have an adult with three offspring (one is somewhat bigger than the other three). I hope they stick around; I like listening to them talk to each other from different trees. We have only seen them flying around the very tree-filled backyards of our house and the neighbor’s, so I haven’t seen them “in flight”.
We warned our daughter not to leave the guinea pigs on the lawn unattended 
kittycat,
I saw the tail and thought about the possibility of the cooper’s hawk. The spots dissuaded me from that possibilty, but as I see some pictures of juvenile cooper’s I think that it still could be, especially with them in a group like that.
Your pictures of the Northern Harrier are completely different then the ones in my wife’s field guide. The pictures you have seem more similar to the sharp-skinned hawk than the harrier. But I really don’t know what I’m talking about. My wife is the birder, not me. She can identify a bird while driving 70 mph on the highway in the fog. I’m not sure where she learned that stuff but she is usually right.
About 10 years ago we were on a backpacking trip in the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Penninsula. We were hiking the Escarpment trail around Lake of the Clouds. We saw a Goshawk soaring over the lake, but it was only about 50 feet from us. Probably one of the coolest bird experiences of my life. Right up there though was watching an American Kestrel flying in the canyons of Colorado National Park.
Bernie
that behavior is very traditional cooper’s hawk behavior. their wings are designed to fly in between trees in the woodlands (so they can chase small birds, and dive bomb into bushes and chase on foot when necessary).
the other hawks tend to soar high; cooper’s hawk stay closer to land.
enjoy them; they are fun birds. hopefully you will get to see on chase something on foot–it is really something spectacular to see let me tell you…straight out of a RoadRunner cartoon!
a few winters ago i had one dive bomb into my big grass, and chase a small prey around the yard. it was hysterical; i hope to never forget it!
if you have an adult one, you might notice less spots on the back. but the rounded banded tail is a sure give away…
kittycat,
My wife agrees with you that this is a Cooper’s hawk. She says I should leave the bird identifying to the experts and stop pretending!
Bernie
lol–hey, birds are for everybody! (even cats 
i only was able to recognize it because i’m a big NERD! lol…
As a certified Hawk nut I agree with the Coopers ID. Tail is too long for a Sharpshinned hawk or a broad-winged hawk, these being the two species that would be close. Here a pic of a Coopers:
We have a local cooper’s hawk that comes to our yard. Its favorite meal is a small ‘back yard bird’, sparrows, finches, chickadees etc. we had one eat a sparrow while sitting on our back deck a few winters ago. They hit the small birds mid-flight as the go to our bird feeder.
Jim they’ve very close. sharpies are more like the size of a dove; cooper’s more like a crow. these hawks are more “crow size” and that is another indicator.
they do look very similar though…