thanks for all the responses ... sure am glad I backed the car up to
photograph him ... initially I didn't see him as I was scanning the
field on the other side of the road looking for pheasants which might
have been stupid enough to walk out of hiding during hunting season
... I caught sight of the hawk just out of the corner of my eye ...
almost didn't back the car up because I mentally just said "oh, a
Red-tailed" ... sure am glad I did back up !!!!!!!!!!

if he/she is the same bird noted at Ridgefield South Unit last week
(about 10 miles north of Shillapoo Wildlife area), at the rate he's
heading south he should make the Swainson wintering grounds sometime
in the year 2010 ... LOL !!!!!!!!

later,
Lyn





At 11:08 AM 11/27/2008, Lyn Topinka wrote:

>hi groups ... HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!!!!!!! ... I'm sitting here
>sniffing cooking turkey while I work up yesterday's images taken at
>Shillapoo Wildlife Area, south of Vancouver Lake ...
>
>here's an odd marked Hawk ... odd to me anyways ... when I shot the
>images I assumed Red-tailed ... however, looking at the images now I
>realize I've never seen a Red-tailed with these type of markings ...
>I'm referring to the high dark patches by the neck and all the white
>markings on the head, especially the white "eyebrows" meeting above
>the nose and under the eyes ... under-the-wings also doesn't look
>like a Red-tailed ... looking at pictures online and through the
>books, I'm thinking perhaps this is a juvenile Swainsons ??? ...
>however, none of the range-maps in the books show the Swainsons in
>this area, especially at the end of November.
>
>http://columbiariverimages.com/Birds/HoldingPen/hawk_shillapoo_wildlife_area_11-26-08.html
>
>help please ??? ... have I seen my first Swainson's or is it just an
>odd-marked Red-tailed ??? ...
>
>thanks,
>Lyn





Lyn Topinka
http://EnglishRiverWebsite.com
http://ColumbiaRiverImages.com
http://RidgefieldBirds.com