Subject: [Tweeters] Ferruginous Hawk east of Moxee-25 March
Date: Mar 25 16:34:03 2013
From: Andy Stepniewski - steppie at nwinfo.net


FERRUGINOUS HAWK EAST OF MOXEE

25 MARCH 2013



Over the lunch hour I surveyed SR-24, the highway heading east of Moxee,
making stops every mile or so, from MP 14 to 27. I was targeting Ferruginous
Hawk which has been sighted at least three times along this stretch of
highway this March. I dipped on finding my target on my eastbound journey,
but lucked out at the "Zook spot" at MP 15 on my return. Karen and Joe Sook,
Sequim transplants, spotted this hawk at MP 15 a few days ago. This bird
really deserves its specific name regalis! I watched in awe as it kited
above the expansive fields here, riddled with squirrel holes and squeaking
critters. Twice, it stooped from several hundred feet up, pulling out from
this steep dive quite close to the ground. Wow!



Species list:

Golden Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 3
Red-tailed Hawk 8
Ferruginous Hawk 1
Rough-legged Hawk 1
Long-billed Curlew 3 1 at Quonset hut at MP 27 very close by.
Rock Pigeon 15
Eurasian Collared-Dove 2
American Kestrel 3
Say's Phoebe 1
Black-billed Magpie 10
Common Raven 15
Horned Lark 20
Sage Thrasher 2 MP 19, shrub-steppe on south side of highway.
European Starling 20
White-crowned Sparrow 10
Western Meadowlark 5
House Finch 3



Andy Stepniewski

Wapato WA

steppie at nwinfo.net