There was a very interesting hawk at the Montlake Fill today. As I am still a beginner, this hawk challenged my identification skills. It was the size of a Red-tailed Hawk, but it seemed very tame, I was able to get directly below it as it was perched in a tree. It was not even slightly concerned about my presence. This hawk was very dark, especially the head. The tail was also dark with horizontal stripes visible. The light conditions were dark this morning so that may have affected the birds appearance. The beak seemed unusually small to me. There was some white mottled on the bird's back, and there was white on it's upper chest. I wanted to make it into a Rough-legged Hawk but that didn't seem to match. I assume that it is some form of dark Red-tailed Hawk.

As I walked around the Fill this bird kept appearing to me in different spots. It was actively hunting and I finally saw it make a kill of a small mammal. It continually stayed low in the tree tops and bushes as I observed it for a good hour and a half. Perhaps it is a young bird?


Mark Vernon
Renton, WA
mailto ma_vern at yahoo.com


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