Things seldom seen or never seen before

[Troy Breeding]

#5981

Today has been a strange one for me.

First off,,,, we got our first snow flakes of the year. Dang, it ain’t even Nov. yet. Hope this isn’t a sign of what is in store for us this winter.

To top that off, this morning while headed to town I saw a Red Fox come trotting out of the neighbors driveway. Never seen one come out to the road and trot down the right of way like a dog in the daylight. It just looked up at my truck and waited until I passed to cross. I watched it in my mirror as best I could until it finally turned and headed off into a field.

Then this afternoon I saw the strangest hawk I’ve ever seen. It was white on the body and head. The wing feathers were dark brown to almost black on the tips and tail feathers were a light brown on the tips.

My neighbor had told me he saw it afew weeks ago eating something on the ground. We went to the area and I found what little bit was left of a squirrel. And I mean very little. Hair and short piece of gut was it.

I’ve never seen a hawk like this. Anybody know what type it was?

Troy

[lyagooshka]

#46536

By no means an expert on anything, but check out the link and see if that’s what you saw…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hawk

Be well.

Alex

😀

[Troy Breeding]

#46571

lyagooshka wrote: By no means an expert on anything, but check out the link and see if that’s what you saw…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hawk

Be well.

Alex

😀

Alex,

The wings look right, but the tail feathers are wrong. The best I could tell with my bynos was the last third of the tail feathers were light to medium brown.

Even though it looked very close I doubt a hawk from Mexico and South would be in OH.

My first thoughts were Gosshawk (sp).

Troy

[lyagooshka]

#46654

Troy,

I agree about southern birds not coming up north, but if it’s a rare sight, it might have been released/escaped from caprivity. Here is a link to the grey goshawk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Goshawk

I am always interested when there is something new that pops up. But along the “southern bird” track, we are having a problem with parakeets. They either get released or escape and they are setting up shot in parts of PA. Our WCOs (Wildlife Conservation Officers) are regularly going out to destroy nests. Anyway, hope you find what it was. Would be cool to know. Be well.

Alex

😕 ❓ 😕

[David Coulter]

#46671

Troy,

This time of year, especially with severe weather activity you can see “accidentals” or birds outside of their normal range. Let us know if you id it. I’d love to hear about it. dwc

[William Warren]

#46692

Agree with dwc. Also my be seeing an immature bird that has not quite reached full plumage. Immature birds can be difficult to identify.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#46752

Northern goshawks are generally darker than you described, and more mottled. Could it have been a kite?

And agreed with Duncan – immature birds can have more variation, making ID more difficult.

[Troy Breeding]

#46782

Immature bird was my first thought since it wasn’t pure white. It did have a mottle kind of white and gray or light brown speckle on parts of the body.

If it ever comes into camera range I will get a pic and post it.

Troy

[Stumpkiller]

#46816

We get Northern Harriers that are very light.

aka Marsh Hawks.

[Troy Breeding]

#47349

Stumpkiller wrote: We get Northern Harriers that are very light.

aka Marsh Hawks.

Charlie,

I think you may have pegged it with the Marsh Hawk.

The bird I saw had the mask looking face as the one in the pic.

It didn’t have as much dark on the wings, but as with anything not everyone looks the same.

Troy

[Wexbow]

#47572

This is a great place for solving all kinds of things 😀

[Ralph]

#47590

Glad they ain’t big enuff to haul my behind off. 😀 They look pretty serious. Beautiful birds, which most are and the one’s that ain’t might just not be so in the eyes of the beholder.

If all the world’s problems were so easily solved!!!!!

[Charles Ek]

#47895

Although a Kite is possible (we’ve had Mississippi Kites breeding way up here in NH the last few years), I agree that a Northern Harrier is most likely what you saw.

Just so you know: Harriers are sexually dimorphic. No, not THAT.

This:Northern harrier, Circus cyaneus

[Stumpkiller]

#47918

I love seeing the HArriers and Goshawks, and also the Redtailed and Sharp-shinned hawks.

Unfortunately, I also raise free-range chickens. 🙁

We lose a couple, especially the young or bantams, every year to hawk predation. I was standing on our dseck watching the chickens and the one I was watching just exploded in a puff of feathers. When I blinked a couple times and what I had seen registered a red-tailed hawk flapped off carrying one of my bantams. He must have been doing 70 mph when he hit as I never saw the incoming swoop.

We got guineas, that supposedly are good watch-birds for hawks and seemed to be, and the coyotes and foxes nailed the guineas.

I never saw a fisher until we got the guineas . . . and in one year I saw five! They are to a chicken what Alien is to an future astronaut. Death on legs.

Oh well, the Circle of Life. And Death.

[Author]

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