Dennis:
> If you start from first principles, your bird could only have been a heron,
> hawk, or owl, from the large size, rounded wings, and slow, steady flight.

I've stayed out of this thus far because my reaction to Susan's description
was "no way!", and I wanted to be polite. Sounds like Dr. Frankenstein's
been busy in the aviary again :)

> Banded tail would seem to rule out heron.

Or migrating crane - do you ever get them flying over Seattle? I've
never actually seen one fly over PDX, but they do stage due north
of here at Sauvie Island, up to 4,000-5,000 I believe.

> Daytime flight makes owl less
> likely but not impossible. Two white bands at tail base rules out
> everything that's native here. No way you'd describe the wingspread of a
> Sharp-shinned Hawk as 3', and I doubt if you'd even use that figure for a
> Cooper's.

Big mama Coop can get close to that wingspread, but my impression was
that the bird's bigger. A gos is a possibility, and I have seen
them fly in a steady, non-"flap flap glide" fashion many times. But
two bands? And white? With buff wings?

> From the description I can't see it as any of the buteos that
> might normally occur here. The tail narrowing sharply doesn't seem to work
> for any of them, which should be flying with sides of tail more or less
> parallel.

And two white bands rule out the total oddball Broadwing possibility.

> I wonder if it might have been an escaped raptor of some kind. Anything
> gone from the zoo lately, Mike?

Or some sort of paint-pot accident? :)

> Alternatively, any chance of any of your descriptors being wrong, Susan?

While we would hate to think this, we must consider the possibility. Don't
worry, Susan, you're in fine company!

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>