ALL WHITE RED-TAILED HAWK (4/4/2020) Westminster City Park

[Senglan9]

I live beside Westminster City Park near Broomfield.  Last night while playing disk golf at around 7PM, I was just about finished when I see a giant ALL WHITE bird.  I always take my binoculars with me to a park just in case I see something.  When I first saw the bird was all white from a distance, my heart raced a little.  Immediate first thought was bald eagle because I've seen some there before.  Then when I realized it was all white when it flew I started having crazy thoughts (possible snowy owl in April??).  But the body shape and size were all wrong for a Snowy so then I was extremely confused as to what this bird might be.  Well it finally lands on tree and I walk closer.  As soon as it landed, I saw it had a mate and I recognized the mate immediately.. Red-Tailed Hawk.  So when I finally got my binos on the bird, I couldn't believe it.  I've never seen anything like this in my life before.  I've only been birding for about 2 years but still this was crazy.  I asked my girlfriend to stay with the bird and keep an eye on it if possible.  I ran a mile home, grabbed my scope and digiscope for my phone to take pictures.  I ran all the way back, thankfully the hawk was still there.  I get it set up, and I actually get some decent pictures. About a minute after I got my pictures, the hawk flew away and my phone died.  Great timing!!   The only marking the bird was was 1 dot on the back of its head, 1 dot on its shoulder, and about 1/4 of its tail was actually the normal red.  That's about it.  On another note, I did see a different RTHA and a Great Horned Owl have a full on battle for about 15 seconds in the air.  It was a pretty crazy unexpected bird night. 

If anyone thinks this might be ultra rare and I should send it to someone important, please let me know.  I did google and see that other people have seen this before but only about once or maybe twice a year in a different parts of the country. I actually found last night that someone had posted about a leucistic RTHA in north Denver but it was 10 years ago! I wonder if this is an offspring or possibly the same bird.  Pretty amazing!.

Also if anyone wants to go attempt seeing the hawk, this RTHA along with its mate were in the large field just north of the park where Big Dry Creek runs through.  I was on the back 9 baskets playing disk golf when I spotted it. 

  

[Gary Bowen (Thornton)]

This one has been around quite a long time. A treat to see it! I wish I had such a nice photo of it but I always see it while I'm driving.

Gary Bowen
Thornton

[Scott Severs]

Great sighting! As said by others this bird has been there for many years. Including one round in the rehab center at the birds of prey foundation after being hit by a golf ball resulting in a broken wing. It’s quite the survivor with the amount of urbanization that has gone on between Boulder and Denver.

Scott Severs
Longmont

[Janis Robinson]

I was happy to see this post. I used to live near this location and as mentioned, this hawk has been around since 2001 or 2002, which makes him almost 20 years old! Here is an article in the Broomfield Enterprise in 2009 related to his recovery from the broken wing. 

https://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/2009/07/08/rare-white-hawk-on-mend-at-birds-of-prey/

Janis Robinson

Coal Creek Canyon

On Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 12:00:03 PM UTC-6, Senglan9 wrote: