[Tweeters] Kent Valley Northern Red-tailed Hawk

[Jim Betz via Tweeters]

Marv Breece,

   First - I am -NOT- a raptor expert and consider myself to be a 
struggling beginner.

   Second - THANKS for posting the link to flickr - I watched all of the 
videos and they are great.


   Now to my question - let me start by saying that in the 5+ years I've 
been birding here in Skagit

County I've seen a -lot- of RTH.  They are quit common here and it is 
actually a 'slow day' if I don't

see at least one RTH.  For example, on a recent outing I saw no less 
than 5 RTH up on poles in the

Samish Flats along about one mile of one road.  And one of the things 
I've noticed about the RTH

is the wide range of coloring from individual to individual. Here, for 
example, is today's entry in my

many photos of RTH

https://eamon.smugmug.com/Family-pics-from-jim/Birds-and-Stuff-from-Jim/n-4Cw3NF/Birds-Web/i-6fFZNv8/A

and here is another taken just a few days before

https://eamon.smugmug.com/Family-pics-from-jim/Birds-and-Stuff-from-Jim/n-4Cw3NF/Birds-Web/i-K3ZLf6f/A


              soooo, my question is "what makes the bird in your videos  
a "Northern" and not a simple RTH?  I am not

challenging your ID - I'm really wanting to understand the differences 
that you see.  Because, my experience is

that the bird you ID'ed, although lighter than common, is still well 
within the range of RTH.  Maybe I've been

seeing Northern RTH all along and just making a mistake?

                                   - Jim


> Message: 2

> Date: Sun, 08 Sep 2024 08:09:32 -0700

> From: MARVIN BREECE via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> To: Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> Subject: [Tweeters] Kent Valley Northern Red-tailed Hawk

> Message-ID: <YJDI3L4P1OU4.621X6ABP1C9T3 at luweb01oc>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

>

> On 9.7.24 I

> observed an adult NORTHERN (ABIETICOLA) RED-TAILED HAWK in the Kent Valley

> along 78th Ave S, just north of S 277th   St.

> Here are links to videos of that bird.

> https://flic.kr/p/2qf2FKp

> https://flic.kr/p/2qf26ab

> I discovered

> this bird in juvenile plumage on 03.30.24<http://03.30.24>.  It was extremely pale in contrast to western red-tails & I thought it

> might molt into an adult eastern, for easier ID.  Recently, after molting, Bill Clark told me

> that the bird was an adult northern.

> There is an entire album of this molting bird over a 5 month period of time on Flickr at: <https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBmtck>https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBmtck

> For more information see ebird report:

> Checklist S194409252

> This would

> be the first confirmed ebird record of Northern Red-tailed Hawk in the state of Washington.

>

>

> Marv Breece

> Tulwila, WA

> marvbreece at q.com<mailto:marvbreece at q.com>