An Unusual Back Yard Visitor In Carroll Gardens

My friend Joe was a bit startled to find a this large bird of prey in his Carroll Gardens backyard over the week-end.  The raptor was perched on an old clothesline pole, snacking on a bloody carcass.
Joe thinks it was a Peregrine Falcon.  To me it looks more like a hawk.  Any experts out there who can identify it?


**Reader and friend Phyllis was kind enough to forward the photos to bird expert Bob Candido, who replied:
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi) - feed primarily on small birds in our area.
This photo shows a juvenile (first winter) female.
These hawks occasionally breed in NYC. They have bred in the Bronx and Staten Island in the last 10 years...they are very common winter residents in NYC - frequently seen in backyards where they like to catch birds at bird feeders...