Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: QWK SVT on April 17, 2009, 10:57:20 AM

Title: Hawk ID help, please
Post by: QWK SVT on April 17, 2009, 10:57:20 AM

First post, so I'll introduce myself, a little...

My parents have retired to Brighton, Ontario - a very different place than the urban settings I'm used to.  In visiting them, I've learned I truly enjoy the nature and have combined that with another hobby - photography.  I'm very much a newbie, trying to learn.  I look at what I find asthetically pleasing, and fire away with the shutter, and try to identify and learn more about the species I found in my view finder, later on.  I can't visit my parents all the time, so I've started to search out wildlife within the confines on the urban / suburban setting, with more success than I ever expected...  Toronto is abustle with birds, and my backyard feeder is visited by more birds than I knew existed in the city, just a year ago!

Over the Easter weekend, I wandered around the Leslie and Hwy 7 area, and followed a couple of Turkey Vultures.  They led me directly to this hawk, and the shutter went wild as my heart pounded - for the first time I was going to be able to take some decent pictures of a raptor (a goal I set for myself a year ago)...  Now, I need your help: can you please ID this bird for me?  I would also very much appreciate if you could explain the logic, so that I can learn, too.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3321/3429773189_3870d0c8c0_b.jpg)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/3429773363_64f8dbd8ca_b.jpg)

Thanks in advance,
QWK SVT

Title:
Post by: Pat Hodgson on April 17, 2009, 11:08:44 AM

immature red-tailed hawk

red-tailed hawk based on overall proportions as well as the "belly-band" of dark feathers across the mid-section
immature because of the banded brown tail

nice shots, BTW

Title:
Post by: cocosally on April 17, 2009, 12:03:10 PM

They are always there around the area. There's 3 of them (at least) and see them on the Hwy 404 almost everyday. They may have thier nest in the area of 404 and 16th. Nice shot!

Title:
Post by: Cody on April 17, 2009, 04:43:28 PM

I saw some of those yesterday. They are very nice to see. They are Red Tailed Hawks.

(http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt315/NorthernCardinal/April162009013.jpg)

Title:
Post by: Niloc on April 17, 2009, 05:27:40 PM

Good for you well done pics ,it is a Red-tailed for sure I see them almost everyday in the Brickworks in Toronto...

Title:
Post by: Cody on April 18, 2009, 08:41:55 PM

Thanks!

Title: RTH
Post by: JTF on April 19, 2009, 08:26:36 AM

Nice job on the images. Flight shot is really good with good looks at the immature plummage.

Title:
Post by: QWK SVT on April 22, 2009, 02:24:39 PM

Thank you all!  I have since been back, and it seems this is a regular haunt for this RTH...
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3381/3454584748_261d03e34e_b.jpg)[/img]