| Common Name | Swainson's Hawk |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Buteo swainsoni |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 10/31/2023 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | JoAnne Russo |
| Mailing Address | 20 Hitchcock Rd, PO Box 250 Saxtons River, VT 05154-0250 United States Map It |
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| Date Completed | 10/31/2023 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Terri Armata |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 43.00443 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.5956 |
| Place Name | Putney Mtn Hawkwatch |
| Township | Putney |
| County | Windham |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 12:55 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | 2-3 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | just above treeline |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | just above treeline |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | mostly sunny with clouds, very cold, light northwest wind |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Zeiss 10x42 binoculars |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | JR has seen one once before in the east, several times while out west. Candy Hess has 5 yrs experience in CA as a spring migration hawk watcher, mostly seeing swainson's hawks. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Summit of Putney Mtn, 1660' elevation, looking northward at a line of oaks, pines, maples and other hardwoods. |
| Behaviors Observed | glided into view from the north, glided overhead giving views of the ventral side, never flapped wings, out of view in the south. |
| Description of Vocalizations | none given |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I pointed out a buteo gliding towards me, to the other 3 experienced hawk watchers who were immediately on the bird. It was close, could easily be viewed without binoculars, but we all viewed it through our bins. The bird looked different from the red-tails and red-shoulders we had been seeing. The bird appeared overall dark, I caught some reddish brown coloring on the chest as it caught the light, and had a lighter belly, light under the tail with darker band at the tip. Very noticeable were the light underwing coverts and dark primaries, giving a two-toned appearance. The wings were narrow and had blunt pointed wingtips. We watched it for 2-3 minutes as it glided across our field of vision, all the while discussing the key points, ruling out various other raptors we see at the sight and realizing the obvious, this was a swainson's hawk, |
| Relative Size & Shape | slim bodied buteo, narrow wings with two-toned ventral appearance, light coverts and dark primaries. |
| Wings | Slim with blunt pointed wing tips; ventral view - two-toned look with light underwing coverts and dark primaries. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | reddish brown breast, lighter belly, lighter under tail with dark terminal band. |
| Tail | light underneath with darker terminal edge. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | red-tail - not a hefty bird, no dark patagials, no belly band. |
| Other Notes & Comments | We are a very experienced hawk watch group with 10+ years each of fall migration hawk watching and counting. I had seen one in 2011 during migration at Putney Mtn, and have seen them numerous times out west soaring and gliding. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | During the Observation |
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