Ted,

Swainson's Hawk is indeed rare west of the mountains, though the date
might be just about right for a spring vagrant. However, from the
description of "size & shape of a Red-tailed" suggests rather a
Red-tailed than a Swainson's which has a rather different & distinctive
shape in flight.

Gene Hunn.

On Fri, 22 Apr 1994, Ted Becker wrote:

> A friend (a non-birder) showed me a picture he took of a hawk near his
> home a couple miles north of Duvall, WA. The combination of distance and
> wide-angle lens makes the bird image about 1/8" even on a large print.
>
> The bird is about Red-Tailed Hawk size and shape. Coloration is
> redish-brown head well down, image too small to distinguish any other
> head/face markings. The breast and belly are very light in color,
> possibly even white, there could be a hint of a narrow
> darker band across the belly, wing and tail color indeterminate.
>
> Could this be a Swainson's Hawk in Western Washington? How rare is this
> bird west of the mountains?
>
> Ted Becker tbecker at eskimo.com (206)794-3708 Monroe, WA
>
>