Mark Johnston asked about -------"Yesterday, I made an attempt to locate the
Red-shouldered Hawk reported to be
in the vacinity of Dungeness, WA. I was unable to find it, but did see what
appeared to me to be a red morph Red-tailed Hawk. It was located just south
of town in the area between Sequim-Dungeness road and the road which heads
back south at the Community Center building.

I had a pretty good look at the bird, but still wonder if I identified it
correctly. The field marks included a dark face and throat, rufous bib and
belly, a dark belly band, no shoulder patch as far as I could tell, a two
tone underwing patern, and a red tail.

Can anyone confirm this bird/id.

Mark Johnston
Kent, Washington ------"

Yesterday, I took a friend over to see the Red-shouldered Hawk in Sequim
and in looking for it saw what was probably the bird mentioned above about a
half mile north of the location. It did not fly, so I cannot say anything
about the underwings, but otherwise the description fits. We looked at it
carefully because it puzzled my friend.
It matchs the rufous morph in the plate in Clark and Wheeler's Peterson
Field Guide to the Hawks. Perhaps I have not been paying attention to
Red-tailed Hawks in WA since moving here but I don't recall seeing many (?
any) in WA. They were a common sight around Phoenix in the winter.
If Mark's question is whether it could be a Red-shouldered Hawk, the
answer is no. The Sequim Red-shouldered Hawk is a nice adult in fine plumage
except for some loose feathers on the underparts which I would think
indicates it is undergoing molt.
Bob Norton
Joyce (near Port Angeles)
norton360 at aol.com