imm Red-shouldered Hawk, Prowers (not a typo)

[Eric DeFonso]

You might think I'm crazy, but this afternoon I found an immature Red-shouldered Hawk at the Lamar Community College woods. When I came across it, my first thought was, "Are you freakin' kidding me? This looks exactly like the bird I reported yesterday at Two Buttes." Surely I can't be so lucky that I would find two Red-shouldered Hawks in neighboring counties on consecutive days. But I have to think that this being the same bird is more plausible than there being two different rare young birds here. I took photos so I could compare the shots, although I discovered that I don't have my CF card reader with me so it will be a while before I can post pics.

For the sake of description, the bird was obviously a young buteo, but notably different from any usual Colorado young buteo as it seemed petite. Chest markings were thick and chocolatey on a white breast, giving way to an unmarked belly near the vent. The face featured a clear eyebrow and light auriculars on an otherwise brown head, and although I couldn't see the irides yesterday because of the backlighting, today I could clearly see they were pale in the bins. When in flight, the underside of the primaries were white with black outers, and a noticeable crescent just medial to them. The tail had thin alternating lines of light and darker brown, with a slightly wider dark terminal band.

In any case, I was also ridiculously lucky to have found a Duane Nelson birding with Jeanelle Thompson birding the same patch. (I assume there's only one of those...) I mentioned the bird to them and they were able to find it without much trouble (Jeanelle got photos too). I was delighted to discover that Duane is a terrific and funny guy, and that it's a shame I've spent so little time in this part of the state before.

Other highlights and birds of note I found during my stay in Two Buttes were two Willow Flycatchers, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, MacGillivrays Warbler, female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, displaying Common Nighthawks, singing Orchard Orioles, and a personal record 11 Spotted Sandpipers all hanging out together at one point.

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Eric DeFonso
Boulder, CO

currently in SE Colorado for work