Rough-legged Hawk
On our way home from a "birding" outing yesterday we spotted a hawk on a power line. It was almost dark and I had lots of trouble with light. The reason I am posting this shot was because the bird really posed an ID problem for us--not because it was a great shot! We really struggled for an ID and spent some time with our noses in a guide books. We came to the conclusion that it was a Rough-legged Hawk only to be told by a friend that all Rough-legged Hawks were in Alaska at this time of the year. Back to the books! Finally we sent the pictures to a long time "birder" who agreed with us that it was a Rough-legged Hawk and verified it by sending the pictures to a Hawk Expert. Final decision--it is a juvenile Rough-legged Hawk who must have his timing off and decided to migrate early. Getting the correct ID on a bird can not only be a challenge but fun and educational too.
Rough-legged Hawk
On our way home from a "birding" outing yesterday we spotted a hawk on a power line. It was almost dark and I had lots of trouble with light. The reason I am posting this shot was because the bird really posed an ID problem for us--not because it was a great shot! We really struggled for an ID and spent some time with our noses in a guide books. We came to the conclusion that it was a Rough-legged Hawk only to be told by a friend that all Rough-legged Hawks were in Alaska at this time of the year. Back to the books! Finally we sent the pictures to a long time "birder" who agreed with us that it was a Rough-legged Hawk and verified it by sending the pictures to a Hawk Expert. Final decision--it is a juvenile Rough-legged Hawk who must have his timing off and decided to migrate early. Getting the correct ID on a bird can not only be a challenge but fun and educational too.