RFI - raptor of some kind

[Jaedon]

my guess is RT hawk but the body colours look wrong

[birddog]

Sometimes RT lack the belly band but I think from the first pic thats what it is.

[Jaedon]

could it be a juvenile then with the lack of the belly band?  That may be what threw my original ID off.

[JTF]

could it be a juvenile then with the lack of the belly band?  That may be what threw my original ID off.

Red-Tailed hawk.

[Carl-Adam]

It is a lighter eastern red tail adult, colour variations are present in all populations of red tails. cheers

[Jaedon]

Thanks guys.  Now to hunt him down again and get some better shots.  There's a decent area nearby there where I can hide in teh bushes and use them as a blind.

[Bruce Colvin]

The Red-tailed Hawk had an incredible variety of plumages. There is the " Hanlans race" that is almost solid black. Then there is the formerly called " Kriders Hawk" a very light colored bird, which has a pink tail ( sometimes even white)
So, color alone isn't always a reliable way to ID the Red tailed Hawk. But these are rare variations that are all a part of what makes birding such a wonderful sport. Bruce