In a message dated 2/2/2002 10:32:18 PM Mountain Standard Time,
hawkowl at shaw.ca writes:

> Hi,From what I can see in your photo, that is defintely a Red-tailed Hawk.
> To help you identify a Red-tailed Hawk,you should look for the brown breast
> band and orange under tail coverts

The colors on the bird don't seem "natural" and I wonder if the light / photo
quality plays into that a bit. Rough-legged Hawk also shows a breast band
virtually identical to the one shown on the bird in the photograph, and that
was going to be my suggestion. The legs look a bit too clean, and the head
appears a bit too dark (photo effects?), but...

Also, what about the item it's perched on? I've seen Roughies perch on
telephone wires, but don't ever recall seeing Red-taileds do that. Seems to
me that Red-taileds like more "solid" perches, and the top of a wispy
evergreen tree brings to my mind a perch more likely used by a Rough-legged.

But I ain't goin' out on a limb!

Best,

--Stacy
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Stacy Jon Peterson
4442 Sijan St. Apt. A
Mtn Home AFB, ID 83648
Elmore County; USDA zone 6a; Sunset zone 3
SJPeterson at aol.com
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HUMMINGBIRDS: www.geocities.com/trochilids
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