Once again, I find myself tantalized by an unidentified bird.
This one was along the Trinity River we showed you yesterday.
I managed to snag this frame a year ago as we were on our way to Klamath Falls. The day was gray, and I struggled to get enough light to keep the image sharp…and the bird was soooo far away!
I don’t think it’s the Golden Eagle I want it to be…the white band on the ends of its wings and tail don’t fit, and there doesn’t seem to be any yellow on the beak.
Love to hear your thoughts….
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Peregrine falcon?
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Dave said its a red tail hawk
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Well, that’s the majority vote so far! But what a beak!
RTHs come in a variety of geographical variations and many different colorations/patterns based on age. Every different look is beautiful though.
Thank you for that, Jim! You’re the third serious birder who says Red Tail Hawk…so I’m convinced. Still lookin for my first Golden….
Glad he answered that, I was going to say the same thing. We have several red tails in the Park. The Golden is getting to be scarce due to fatal collisions with all those wind power towers, Audubon is working with GE to solve the problem but so far no solution. The Golden is about 30% bigger than the bald, and has a dive rate much faster than the bald. I used to see them all the time when I worked on a cattle ranch in SE Oregon. Have only seen one in Fl. flying down a freshwater canal doing some fishing. They look enormous close up. TC
Thanks for that, Tom. Sounds like if you have to ask whether it’s a Golden…it’s not!