Hawk ID Needed

[canonloader]

I should know this one, but can't quite put my finger on it.

I just found a soaring hawk gold mine almost in my own back yard. It's a couple of 20 acre fields with a long view and surrounded by woods and fallow fields, and there seems to be a lot of hawks soaring, either hunting or headed south.

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/potn/hawks/hawk1.jpg

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/potn/hawks/hawk2.jpg

http://www.freeassociationblog.com/potn/hawks/hawk3.jpg

[Paul A]

Not sure what it is Mitch but they are real good shots, especially like the third.

[canonloader]

Thanks Paul. I was impressed with the beauty of this guy as the sun shown through his feathers. And yes, I was laying on my back in the weeds to shoot him as he went directly overhead. :D

BTW, these are cropped slightly.

[nitefrogger]

great raptor shots once again. You may have found your field of dreams now that deer hunting is over (mostly) and you aren't leaving tracks in the snow.

I would guess it's a young redtail, but I stand to be corrected.

Now, if you could just carry a nice soft cot out there with you!:D

[canonloader]

Hey Jim. There were some red-tails further off. I actually got some shots of them trying to grab claws inflight, but they were too far away. I'll add one here in a minute. This guy just doesn't seem to have the right shape though for a red-tail.

BTW, stupid me, I went to Pettibone and saw nothing, so guess where I went next? And got turned back at the bridge? Duhhh.... ;)

[ngannet]

Very nice shots. It's a Red-Tailed Hawk. Look at the 'commas' toward the edge of the wing and that big belly-band.

[canonloader]

Where's the red? I thought even juveniles had a red tail?

Here's a shot of two other birds that came by a few minutes after the one above. Just thought it was interesting.
http://www.freeassociationblog.com/potn/hawks/hawkfight.jpg

[ngannet]

Nope, juveniles have brown finely banded tails. Wow, those are some cool action shots!

[reewik]

I would have to agree.. Redtail Hawk

[canonloader]

:D I guess you know where I'll be tomorrow?

I have to throw my book away. It says even young red-tails have a dark brown tail with one wide black band. This guy was all white by eyeball. I didn't see any of the banding till I looked at them onscreen. :(

[pknight]

Yeah, underside of the tail is not red, just the top side.

[ngannet]

Get a copy of Sibley's Field Guide or Peterson's. You can see a great example of a 'tail that looks just like your shots. The upperside of the tail on a juv. is brown with some black banding. Also, an excellent raptor book is Wheeler's Photographic Guide to North American Raptors (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&pwb=1&ean=9780691116440). Excellent photos, very comprehensive.

[Kiddpsychotic]

nGannet is correct. According to Sibley's Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, that appears to be a Juvenile Eastern Red Tailed Hawk, the SouthWestern, Western, and Krider's are not marked like that when they are Juveniles.
At first I thought it was a Juvenile Ferruginous Hawk, but they don't have the dark feathers on the underside of the leading edge of thier wings; Good Shots, excellent detail.

[canonloader]

Get a copy of Sibley's Field Guide or Peterson's.
Actually, I have the Smithsonian Handbook of birds of north america, and used my brothers book before that. Two for two worthless books just makes me want to forget it and not care. If I can identify it as a bird, thats good enough. There is so much trash on the market these days that I don't want to waste any more money on it. ;)

You guys that know, know. Me, I don't care, but I've never seen a red tailed hawk that didn't have a red tail, looking at it from the top or bottom. :D