On Thu, 20 Jul 1995, Don Baccus wrote:

snip..snip..

> But the white "ring" around the throat and back of head doesn't seem
> right, and supposedly immy Harris' hawks have a pale belly. I'm
> not extremely familiar with this species, though I've seen quite
> a few in Texas, NM and AZ (hope those two letter codes are acceptable!)
> and I've never seen any variation from the norm. They aren't listed
> as coming in various morphs etc, unlike redtails which can vary from
> pure white to black.

> Of course, a molting bird can look pretty wierd and 'tis that
> time of year.

Don--

I agree that the most likely candidate is a redtail...and the white neck
ring throws me...but, having spent the weekend swapping stories about
hawks, kind of sets the stage for the escaped Harris immature..particularly
since there have been some of them loose in urban areas for extended periods
of time...and you're right about moulting birds looking weird..

in any case, if it's a redtail immature or even a passage gos,
it could be loaded with frounce and unable to eat, and need treatment...
I hope someone gets a positive ID on it soon. If it needs assistance,
there are folks available who can trap and treat it...


>
> I wish I could molt, its extremely hot here in PDX right now!
>
I thought Oregonians shed their skins every so often...(that's
how they get *thicker*...) ;-) ;-)

Tom