Hi, Tweets

Thought a few of you might enjoy this short discussion of Harlan's hawk tails!

Cheers, Diann


>Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 20:35:40 -0800
>Reply-To: Patty Beasley <pbeasley at ELECTROTEX.COM>
>Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch, Fall 1999
>
>Update: in light of Joel's query on Harlan's redtails with gray tails, I
>received this post from Mark Orsag (of the Hitchcock Nature Area, which is
>in the Loess Hills on the Iowa side of the Iowa-Nebraska border overlooking
>the Missouri River Valley to the west). Mark has generously allowed me to
>forward it to you all. Thanks, Mark! Your input is greatly appreciated (and
>may I say we're quite impressed at the numbers of Harlan's your site gets!
>That blue-tailed redtail must've been quite a sight!).
>-------------------
>
>Patty,
>
>I'm in a unique position to help you out on this one as we get good numbers
>of Harlan's Hawks here at Hitchcock. We see a number of the "dusky-tailed
>variants" here. They seem to come through a bit earlier in the season than
>the more conventional white-tailed adults for whatever reason. Maybe they
>are going farther south? Your bird may have been recorded here earlier, but
>we will never know for sure.
>
>Harlan's tails, by the way, have almost infinite variation. The Nebraska
>Raptor Center hosted a very handsome individual last year that had a
>partially turquoise tail. We recently saw a bird at HNA with a dull yellow
>tail with the trademark narrow black band at the tip.
>
>Pete Dunne, in Hawks in Flight, is also correct about the perils of
>distinguishing immature Harlan's RTs from Western Dark Morph RT immatures.
>We call only about half of them and record the rest as "dark morph
>indeterminates".
>
>P.S. We've recorded 19 Harlan's so far this year.
>
>- Mark Orsag
>Email: MOrsag at doane.edu