Between 1994 and 2001 a similiar bird wintered in my neighborhood. After it was finally photographed Bud Anderson proposed that it was a pale morph "Harlan's" intergrade. I also found a very similiar bird northwest of Pasco in 2007. It was further suggested that it wasn't a "Krider's" because "Krider's" is defined by the area they occupy and that this isn't it.

Dennis Rockwell
Kennewick, WA
dennisrockwell at dwwireless.net

----- Original Message -----
From: zingie at aol.com
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 3:38 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Very interesting (white) red-tail on I5


Hi Tweeters,

This morning around 9am my friends and I spotted a very, very light red-tail at milepost 194 on I5 north. We couldn't stop but got a pretty good look at the bird. Its face was very white and it only had one thin line of brown feathers on the chest. On our way back to Seattle around 11:30am the bird was sitting on a deciduous tree in the northbound lanes near the exit sign for Marine View Drive (exit 195). We got off the freeway and drove by the bird twice (you know you're a birder when...). The bird moved the second time we drove by and although the lighting was bad we could see that the base of the tail was white and did not get any color until the last quarter of the tail. It was hard to see but I believe there was a bit of red and black. The bird didn't go far and landed in a tall conifer that was still on the off ramp. If any of you are headed that way keep an eye out. It is the whitest red-tail I have seen in Washington and stood out like a light in the grey morning. None of us had cameras but the bird looked quite a bit like this just to give you an idea if you are going to keep an eye out for this bird. The tail was not barred or colored at the base like this bird however:

http://pie.midco.net/dougback/miscphotos/Kriders_redtail.jpg

It is worth checking out! If anyone sees it and/or gets photos please let me know. Also, there was an adult Peregrine Falcon on a deciduous tree near the on ramp for I5 North off of Hwy 2. Also seen today were many adult and immature red-tails and a Cooper's Hawk in Smokey Point.

Simone Lupson-Cook
Seattle, WA
zingie at aol.com


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