[obol] Ridgefield NWR: ROUGH-LEGGED and HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWKS

[Bill Clemons]

I birded the River "S" Unit at Ridgefield NWR (~4mi W of I-5 at Exit 14
in SW Washington; http://www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/ )

Highlights:

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK:  We saw two individuals.  One had dark markings on
its face.  It was about 40 feet in front of the car perched on a
boundary sign at the se corner of Rest Lake. Very nice plumage
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK indeed! Perhaps it had a touch of dark phase trying
to surface.  All I know, is I have never seen one with these markings
before.  Another neat thing was that as it was perched there on the
sign, facing us, we had a great look at the feathered legs.  We could
only see toes hanging over the top edge of the sign, and feathers from
there up.  Sweet!  Thos was a Magnificent Bird
with unique (to me) facial markings and a Beautiful underwing pattern.

HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK:  This fellow is still relatively easy to see.
 Today it was atop one of the "Three Trees" along the road on the E
side of Rest Lake.  We saw it fly as a car stopped under it. We watched
it over Schwartz Lake as it return to its normal hangout in the loan
Oak on the E side dike.


Bill Clemons
SW of Portland in Mtn Park
Willclemons AT Yahoo dot com


Complete list of 49 species seen / heard:


Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback             (4 on Rest Lake)
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
DARK PHASE RED-TAILED HAWK  (in tree by The Blind)
HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove     (at top of entrance canyon)
Belted Kingfisher
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch    (heard only-entrance canyon)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren   (seen near R/R tracks)
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow




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