Vermont Rare Bird Reports 2019

Clear conditions

Zeiss 10 x40

Significant hawk watching experience from Hawk Mtn to Hawk Ridge; no previous sighting of this species

This bird was flying over a wetland area below my house; the bird was specifically over an area of the wetland without shrubs...just grasses

The bird was flying in circles but would break from circle pattern to a coast

n/a

I spotted this bird from inside my house that overlooks a wetland area sweeping to Memphremagog. The bird was circling....I immediately grabbed binocs...and was struck by white overall color, and the fact that in my mental sorting process, none of the typical species clicked...so I concentrated more of characteristics...powerful flyer, stout torso, longish tail, pointed wing tips but wings seemed stockier than what I would expect proportiontely in a Peregrine.

Bigger than peregrine, full bodied torso

nothing captured

nothing captured

Whitish with touches of gray

same as back

Closest species look alike is falcon like but heavier

nothiong captured

longish; no markings noted mentally

I typically go through a process to id raptors by family-buteo yes or no, accipiter yes or no, falcon yes or no. This bird was not fitting immediately into any of those categories; I then focused on color, wing and tail size relative to body, also size of torso. The color was the most atypical feature that stood out; an overall white with gray touches on the periphery; the only other bird that I thought was a very light redtailed but the narrower wings eliminated that possibility

The things that jumps out at me most are the color and the fact that I could not immediately lump it into a buteo, accip nor falcon. I had to work the id....but the white color tipped me to gyr quickly.