Subject: Re: Raptor ID
Date: May 17 13:32:29 1998
From: Don Baccus - dhogaza at pacifier.com


At 06:30 AM 5/17/98 -0700, Joanne Powell wrote:
>To Don Baccus, Emily Teachout, Riesen Reto, and Rick Romea for their
>thoughtful response to my Raptor ID query.
>
>The concensus is pretty much towards the male Northern Harrier because of
>the lightness of the gray. The barred tail? ...Quien Sabe? This is my week
>for raptors. Coming home from an 7-hour birding trip Saturday (our Audubon
>chapter's birdathon day) I had a very good look at a dark morph red-tail.
>Is it unusual for a dark morph to have no change of color from back to
>tail? No bands this time! This bird was almost a chocolate brown - head,
>back and tail. No steaking, no reddish coloration anywhere. Didn't have the
>band or breast patch in front. From underneath the leading edges of the
>wings were dark and the rest somewhat lighter. This time I was able to get
>out of the car and also had my good binos with me. If there were dark
>patagial marks they didn't stand out from the rest.

See http://donb.photo.net/photo_cd/a/b42.html for a photo of a coal-black
red-tailed hawk.




- Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
Nature photos, on-line guides, and other goodies at
http://donb.photo.net