I have added a couple of more photos which hopefully will help explain
more of what I was thinking.
No white dots on wing coverts:
http://www.thefocusedeye.com/img/s11/v37/p366545781-5.jpg
No banding on tail:
http://www.thefocusedeye.com/img/s11/v30/p431229328-4.jpg

I am looking at the Peterson Field Guides, and the Red-tails all show
white dots and bands on the tail. And the beak on the Red-tail looks
larger to me as well. I also did not think Adult Rough Legged because I
don't see banding on the tail either.

Add to that the this bird didn't take off as soon as I thought of taking
it's picture, I figured it couldn't be a Red-tail :-).

Any other thoughts? I sure wish I was better at this. Then again, when
I first got started 6 or 7 years ago I took a photo at Hayton Reserve
and when my wife said "What was that?", my answer was "Some small
hawk". A birder standing next to us heard me and said "No, that was a
Short-eared owl". Since I knew everything I didn't believe him until I
zoomed in on my camera, and danged if that wasn't my first Short-eared
owl picture. So now I at least try to get it right, with a lot of help
from folks like you.

Thanks!

On 11/20/2011 10:09 PM, Ann Marie Wood wrote:
> Hi:
>
> We may have seen the same bird which I identified as a dark morph Red-tailed juvenile. In the small Sibley they look remarkably alike. Please post your conclusions and/or feedback.
>
> Thanks,
> Ann Marie Wood
> Mountlake Terrace
>
>
>
>
> Bill Dewey
> www.thefocusedeye.com
> www.deweydrive.com