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Posted by Rock Jetty on 15:56:00 11/13/10
It was a beautiful day to be out birding. Lucky Hammock was putting up an incredible raptor display. John Hintermister, Lloyd Davis, and Phil Laipis - The Alachua Gang - showed up looking for some year birds. I left them at Lucky Hammock to pursue Yellow-breasted Chats in the Annex (Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area). No such luck. On several attempts I have been hearing what I believe are chats but have failed to see them. Also, there were at least two men hunting just outside the Annex entrance. Shotgun blasts are distracting.
After a while, I returned to Lucky Hammock where John and the gang reported seeing Lincoln's and Chipping sparrows in the brushy fields directly south of the hammock proper. I should have stuck with these guys - I need both those birds for the year. A White-tailed Kite and a dark morph Short-tailed Hawk graced us with aerial acrobatics. The gang left to go across SR9336 to search for Short-eared Owl and Swainson's Hawk; I stayed to look for the two aforementioned sparrows. No such luck again. Savannah and Grasshopper (very abundant) were the only ones seen.
I saw both Swainson's (immature) and Red-tailed Hawks flying over the fields. As I was headed back to the car, I noticed a large buteo that was "different". This hawk was Turkey Vulture-sized and whitish underneath except for two dark crescents, one on each wing, at the base of the primaries, and a dark belly/breast band, reminiscent of a Red-tailed Hawk's however this one was exceptionally dark towards the wing (like black armpits). However, the band was lighter in the middle. The tail was light with the exception of a faint band at the tip. The primaries formed a translucent and obvious "rectangle"; the secondaries were darker by contrast, although not dark.
I was already considering Rough-legged Hawk; however, I have never seen one before and would've wanted someone to confirm the sighting. The hawk joined a Turkey Vulture kettle and headed north. I got in my car and tried following it, hoping to run into John and the gang, which I did. Unfortunately we could not relocate the bird and I'm not counting this one unless someone does relocate it. Bummer. Phil had the book "Hawks in Flight" which shows great illustrations of all our hawks (quite a bit better for identification than the illustrations in National Geographic). See page 44-A for a bird that is very similar to the one I saw, except the breastband was not completely dark in the center and the tail band seemed a bit lighter.
Keep your eyes open out there - it is an irruptive winter. I'll be out there again either tomorrow or Monday with Toe.
Good Luck and Bird On,
RJ
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