Rough-Legged Hawk

 


These pictures are from yesterday. Today was beautiful too, but these are special, and I got an ID on them from a local birding expert, Dave Dister. I was driving along and saw this hawk soaring above the field to my left. The more I watched it, the more I realized that I didn't know what kind of hawk it was.



These pictures aren't great, but I'm always happy to get anything that is in focus enough to show any details of a bird on the wing. The next picture is the best for showing key points.



Turns out this hawk has a brown phase and a gray one. This bird is in the gray phase (more rare), and it's also not seen here all that often. So I'm feeling pretty good about catching this one, and getting a picture to prove it.

Note the white tail with a dark band at the end, and the dark wrists.

But I never would have figured it out on my own. It's great to know the local expert!

	See Used to Be the Marsh Hawk See Red-Tailed Hawk It Is!
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