Thursday, March 11, 2010

Rough-legged - Not

[When I first glimpsed this bird this afternoon, on a driveby at distance along Route 47 in Dennisville, I thought it might be a light morph Rough-legged Hawk. Click to enlarge photos.]

[It's just a young Red-tailed Hawk with a very dark belly, I think the darkest-bellied red-tailed I've ever seen (not counting dark morphs out west). Shows why one should be cautious i.d.'ing distant specks, and never rely on just one field mark. Head's too dark, not to mention the unfeathered tarsi, & too bulky and heavy-headed looking for Rough-legged.]

No comments: