Subject: Albino Harrier at South Bend?
Date: Feb 1 20:56:32 2004
From: Gordon Gammell - redstonef16 at hotmail.com


Hello Tweeters,
Kari and I just returned from two great days birding a loop that took us
from Vancouver, Wa to Long Beach via US 30 up to Ocean Shores via 101 then
over to Nisqually then down I-5 to home.
Saturday was a wash out except for West Port boat basin (sunshine and four
life birds for our short list) and east of South Bend along Green(?) Slough.
We spotted a bird the size of a Harrier or Roughed Legged Hawk. The head was
flat, eleptical shaped, no supercilium, all white, dark eyes. The back was
white. The tail was white except for a one inch or so dark band on the end
with a very narrow white band on the tip. The chest was vey white, with
small, narrow, dark almost black streaks. The stomach was white with the
same streaking. The wings were very brown with white mottling. The under
sides were white with dark ends. The legs were not noticebly covered. It
flew off finally in a low pass over the slough to our right and into the
brush. We watched it for fifteen minutes. We think it was a Harrier in some
sort of tansition plummage or an immature Rough Legged Hawk. Sorry, no
pictures. The camera is in the works as soon as we can figure out a good
birding digital. Thoughts on the bird? Recommendations on the camera?

Kari & Gordon Gammell
Vancouver Wa
redstonef16 at hotmail.com

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