| Common Name | Northern Red-tailed Hawk |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Buteo jamaicensis abieticola |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 02/09/2019 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Richard Littauer |
| Mailing Address | 10 Monsignor Crosby Ave Apt 4 Montpelier, VT 05602 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 04/26/2019 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.2644 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.5697 |
| Place Name | North Street |
| Township | Montpelier |
| County | Washington |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 09:50 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 5 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 2000 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 80 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Sunny, windy, cold. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Vortex Viper binoculars, and a Nikon D500 with 500mm lens. |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I've noted many Red-tailed Hawks in Vermont, and have begun looking harder for differences between abieticola and borealis (as well as calurus, in the West). |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Field with a pond and good visibility, hemmed in to the east and west by large woodlands. |
| Behaviors Observed | The bird flew from the northeastern woods across the road, across the field with the pond in it, and sat in some pines on the other side of the field. |
| Description of Vocalizations | None. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | The bird flew over our head on the road, and then landed in some pines across the field. I had a very good look at it while it was flying over, but was only able to take photos once it had landed a ways away. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Adult sized Red-tail. |
| Head | The head was almost complete brown, with a very minimal throat patch. There was a slight white supercilium. |
| Feet & Bill | Yellow bill. Unknown feet. |
| Upper Back | Brown. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Unseen. |
| Wings | I do not remember. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | The breast has dark brown mottling. |
| Tail | Unrememberable. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | A Buteo jamaicensis borealis was ruled out due to the dark mottling, lack of a clear white throat patch, and lack of a clear white supercilium. I was unable to use wings or tail pattern to distinguish. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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