Scott,

I saw a silver-gray backed Gyr at the tip of Dungeness Spit 2-3 years ago
that at a distance seemed almost gleaming white below, but was lightly
streaked on closer inspection. I believe that is typical of adults.
Perhaps yours was a "brown-phase" adult?

Gene Hnnn.

On Mon, 16 Jan 1995 SCRAY at delphi.com wrote:

> Tweeters,
>
> This afternoon I found and photographed an adult(?) Gyrfalcon at milepost 18 on
> Hwy 24 east of Yakima in an area dominated by several year old wheat stubble.
> The Red-tail-sized bird first impressed me as an _anatum_ Peregrine since its
> neck and breast had a very white ground color(throat was nearly pure white),
> but the thin black streaks on the upper breast were vertical and gradually
> became broader and horizontal on the flanks. Moderately dark brownish head and
> brownish-gray back with a light moustachial streak. Has anyone else had
> experience with a Gyr of this description (contrasing light front with darker
> back)? I've had experience with few Gyrs.
>
> The bird was in an area that Andy Stepniewski tells me features a large
> population of Gray Partridges.
>
> Also, a bald eagle gave a me good show today in Richland when it took a female
> Bufflehead from beneath the water's surface. I was drawn to the eagle since it
> was flying in a manner I'm not accustomed to seeing in a bald eagle, flying
> very swiftly and a foot or two above the water. It flew this way for several
> hundred yards before flaring out and pulling the duck out of the water. It
> must have timed the duck's ability to remain underwater so that the duck was
> coming to the surface where it could be caught, or else the water was too
> shallow for the duck to dive deep enough to escape.
>
> Scott Ray
> 209 So. 40th Ave
> Yakmia, WA 98908
> 509/965-5456
>