[Tweeters] Fw: Kent Valley Northern Red-tailed Hawk

[MARVIN BREECE via Tweeters]

Over the last few years, without intending to, I have collected a few sightings of EASTERN & NORTHERN RED-TAILED HAWKS in Washington. When I noticed that there was a single Eastern record in ebird and zero Northerns, I felt I had to share these sightings.


I have created an album on Flickr for each of these 7 sightings. Here's the link:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/138163614@N02/albums
There is also an album which includes a collection of Harlan's videos.


So.  The birds are here.  There are books that describe Eastern Red-tailed Hawk field marks, but I'm afraid you're on your own with the Northern.  The bird is controversial and whether or not it becomes a subspecies remains to be determined.


Bird subspecies is not everyone's cup of tea, so I'll leave the topic here.  I am hardly an expert when it comes to RTHA, but I am learning.  Since I had help from an expert, I feel comfortable with the ID of the birds I have shared with you.


Marv Breece
Tukwila, WA
marvbreece at q.com<mailto:marvbreece at q.com>


On Mon, 9 Sep, 2024 at 4:41 PM, me <marvbreece at q.com> wrote:
 

To: tweeters at u.washington.edu


Birders have asked me about the field
marks of the current Kent Valley NORTHERN RED-TAILED
HAWK.  Here they are, copy/pasted from my ebird report:
*	reddish-brown head dribbling streaks onto the breast
*	dark throat with white streaks
*	prominent and dark belly band
*	underwing less heavily marked than on calurus (western)
*	deep brown back
*	rather thick, black subterminal tail band
*	primary tips do not reach tip of tail on perched bird

 
For
those interested in Red-tailed Hawk (RTHA) subspecies, here is a link to a
distribution map.  
<https://webmail.centurylink.net/app/Utilities/gateway_url.asp?umsgid=be75c8f2-c9c8-4a68-bbb1-8fa40f4910be&uurl=https%3A//redtailedhawkproject.org/subspecies-guide/>https://redtailedhawkproject.org/subspecies-guide/
Scroll
down for translation to common names.
 
A good
introduction to Northern Red-tailed Hawk is the article by Liguori & Sullivan
that Kevin Lucas provided earlier. Here it is again    :<https://webmail.centurylink.net/app/Utilities/gateway_url.asp?umsgid=be75c8f2-c9c8-4a68-bbb1-8fa40f4910be&uurl=https%3A//northernredtails.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/rth_aabieticiola_north_american_birds_march_2014.pdf>https://northernredtails.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/rth_aabieticiola_north_american_birds_march_2014.pdf

An
internet search will turn up several articles about this proposed subspecies. 
At this point, identification of Northern Red-tailed Hawk seems more of an art to me.  Differences with other RTHAs are subtle.   


Marv Breece
Tukwila, WA
marvbreece at q.com<mailto:marvbreece at q.com>






On Sun, 8 Sep, 2024 at 8:09 AM, me <marvbreece at q.com<mailto:marvbreece at q.com>> wrote:
 

To: tweeters at u.washington.edu<mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>




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>
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