Zebra ( ! ) Red-tail, Auburn NH

[Steve Bennett]

This past January, Susan Wrisley sent me some pictures of a strangely
patterned Red-tail Hawk that she saw along Route-101 in Auburn,
between Exits 1 & 2. It was highly leucistic, featuring an all white
head, white chest & belly, and mostly white upper wings with a few
black flight feathers mixed in, giving it a Zebra effect. Jenna
Pepittas reported seeing it again shortly thereafter.

I have been searching for this bird for 11-months and today I finally
got lucky. At about 3 PM I spotted what appeared to be a large raptor
in a tree along Route-101. It was indeed our Zebra Red-tail. It is
skittish and immediately took off. As it soared above the trees I
followed it for about 5 minutes, a harrowing experience as I was
parked precariously in the Route-101 breakdown lane with heavy
traffic.

It is a very cool and dramatic bird. Keep your eyes open !

Attached below are some basic I.D. pictures.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S98420500

--
*Stephen Bennett*
*603-502-7457*
*sbenn...@gmail.com* <sbenn...@gmail.com>
*Bennett and Moore Auctioneers & Appraisers*