I was interested in Charlie Wright's comments about the Skagit
Red-shouldered Hawk. I saw this bird briefly on Saturday 4 December
at the same location before it vanished for the afternoon. My
fleeting impression was, too, that it was not typical for
western-type individuals, but rather more characteristic of eastern
populations, with very limited rufous for an adult bird. I
attributed my impression to a poor view of the bird flying off
through the trees, but Charlie's comments make me wonder...

Have others seen this bird?

Dan


>As we were packing our stuff up to leave, the RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
>first found 11/24 (by Mike Donahue & Alan Knue) began calling near
>the entrance road. Grabbing a scope and walking up the road, we
>obtained excellent eye-level vi! ews of this adult bird on the top
>of a bush. I also managed to get some (somewhat poor) video of the
>bird. I'd like to hear some comments from those who have seen this
>bird, as it seems to me to resemble an adult of the eastern
>subspecies, B. l. lineatus. It does not have a large amount of
>orange on it, but rather has indistinct orangish bars around the
>belly. The whole underparts are quite pale. The call may also favor
>lineatus, as what I heard today was lower-pitched than others I've
>heard in the state, and longer. I don't think the (much less likely)
>eastern subspecies has occurred in the state before, but it's worth
>considering.
>
>That's all for now, good birding.
>
>Charlie Wright
>Birdking88 at aol.com
>Sumner, WA


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Daniel Froehlich
Burke Museum
U. of Washington
Box 353010
Seattle, WA 98105-3010
Cell 206-595-2305
W 206-685-9866 [NOTE CHANGE FROM 685-3866]
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