Rough-legged Hawk - Harriman Lake, Jeffco

[Regina King]

There has been a Rough-legged Hawk at Harriman  that I have seen on Dec 7, 8, 10 and today, always in the trees on the northeast side.  Today I spotted the bird on the frozen lake, with a kill that it brought to a tree branch.  It is very skittish, I'm never able to get very close.  As I approached it relinquished the kill to several waiting Magpies as it flew from the branch to slowly circle above.  I kept my glasses on it, and suddenly a second Rough-legged appeared; both are light morphs.  They circled together for a minute, met talons briefly. I followed one as it flew off to the southwest, and lost track of the other.   Usually there is at least one Red-tailed Hawk at Harriman, but I've not seen any since the Rough-legged showed up a week ago.

 

Regina King

Littleton, CO