Monday, December 13, 2010

10
comments
Dark Phase Rough-legged Hawk

Okay, so after thinking this was a Western Red-tailed Hawk (here is one from earlier this year), someone on Flickr promptly corrected my mistake and informed me that this is a dark phase Rough-legged Hawk! I'm certain there was a Western Red-tail at the landfill today because I saw the red, but it wasn't this guy. There are so many hawks out there it's getting hard to keep track. Anyway, I'm glad my mistake was corrected, looks like I still have some learning to do.

Western Red-tailed Hawk

Western Red-tailed Hawk

Western Red-tailed Hawk

This bird is currently on the ebird home page. They have a ebird rarities flickr pool and the images from that pool show up on the home page. If you haven't tried ebird I would highly recommend it. It is a good way to see trends and keep track of lists, but more importantly, by contributing your sightings, you will be giving ornithologists hard data on bird populations. It is known as "citizen science" and it is a great tool for birders and scientists alike.



10 comments:

mick said...

Great photos of the Hawk in flight.

Mike B. said...

I always make the same mistake. Everything is a red-tailed hawk to me until proven otherwise!

Unknown said...

Good detail in a active photo. Boom & Gary of The Vermilon River.

Springman said...

Excellent post! I will take you suggestion and check out e-bird.
I just learned about this Dark Phase that hawks go through and I understand that it is fairly rare to get an image of it let alone see it. Great Catch and wonderful on the fly captures. Landfill Birds does it again!

Empty Nester said...

Beautiful hawk! Great photos!

holdingmoments said...

The raptors are one of my favourite birds; and also some of the ones I have trouble identifying. lol
I love that second shot.

Arija said...

Well done, the markings are so clearly captured from below.

FAB said...

I guess it's not uncommon to get these particular Hawks mixed up....I know I have the same problem with Accipiters!
You captured good detail of the underwing patterns.

Larry said...

Beautiful shots of the Rough-legged Hawk Ryan! Those underwing shots are great for hawk ID if you have a good field guide. We get to see them here in the winter months on our Christmas Bird Counts.

jeanlivingsimple said...

You really got some great flight shots. Great advice about e-bird.

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