Subject: Broad-winged Hawks sailing west over Wapato?
Date: Oct 5 20:39:50 2000
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


Tweeters,

About 11:15 AM this morning (5 October) my brother Mike came into the
warehouse office (where I was busy stewing over slow apple sales) and
reported "four small Buteos just went over the office flying directly west."
I bolted out, and drove madly west along the base of Rattlesnake Ridge, but
missed the birds.

He identified them as juvenal-plumaged Broad-winged Hawks based on size ("as
big as a crow"), darkish fringed wings, diffusely banded tail, and general
light coloration below. Mike is familiar with Red-tails, seeing them every
day and recognized these birds, flying closely together as "tiny." He is
also very familiar with Accipiters. I pressed for a written description,
explaining this was an extraordinary sighting. He protested "I'm no
ornithologist, but I can readily identify a Ouachita Map Turtle at 300
yards." If Tweeterites go and check your herp books, you'll note this map
turtle is differentiated from its kin by differences (subtle to my eye, but
apparently distinctive to herp freaks) in head markings.

Oh well... I believe Mike observed Broad-winged Hawks based on his cursory
description, habits of the birds, timing of the sighting, and his ability to
identify the usual diurnal raptors in this region. From now on I might pay
closer attention to the birds right overhead, and maybe occasionally refrain
from mad drives 5 hours one-way to Cooper Mtn. on Chelan Ridge, THE proven
Broad-winged Hawk location for Washington.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA
steppie at nwinfo.net