Saturday (12.30.17) I birded the end of K Street in Hoquiam, Grays Harbor County. While looking unsuccessfully for Common Redpolls, I noticed an unusual Red-tailed Hawk perched in the distance. It had white spectacles which reminded me of a Light Morph Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk. When the bird took flight, the tail appeared all red; not especially good for a Harlan's. But I was still curious, so when it landed on a pole, I put the camera on the tripod, set it to movie mode and turned it on. I was hoping for a screen grab of the tail in flight; something that might not be captured in a still shot or by the naked eye.


After a few minutes the bird did fly. Slow motion of the video revealed streaks of white at the base of the tail: a Harlan's characteristic. I didn't get a satisfactory look at the breast. It's possible this bird is a Light Morph Harlan's. Or perhaps a Harlan's intergrade, based on the white at the base of the tail and the white specs.


Below is a link to images and screen grabs of this bird. I would love to hear what others have to say about it.
http://www.pbase.com/marvbreece/new_images


Marv Breece
Tukwila, WA
marvbreece at q.com

Concepts shape our world.
Concepts are not hard wired.