[TN-Bird] Ferruginous Hawk - Tunica Co. Mississippi

DEC 31, 2004
Tunica Co. MS
 
 
Well 2004 birding was great all year and it went out with unexpected  
fireworks. Late this afternoon after a great day at the "Pits" and TVA Lake in  
Memphis and even more great birds in Tunica Co, I found and photographed  an 
immature Ferruginous Hawk!!
 
I had been by this place twice before and scanned through a ton of flying  
and perched Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks. When I saw this bird at a distance  
flying away I thought it was a Rough-legged Hawk but something just was not  
right. The bird flew back into some tall grass and perch on a short stick or  
corn stalk. My second thought was it might be a Krider's but that still did not 
 
compute.
 
The bird flew out into the field one more time and chased a male Harrier  off 
its catch. Then I watched as the bird tossed the mouse and gobbled it down  
in one gulp. This was no Red-tailed Hawk. The bird had a clear white chin,  
throat, breast and belly but dark splotching low on each side. The crown was  
gray and white streaked and there was a dark line through the eye and a light  
supercillium. The back was dark but in the air there was a light gray tail with 
 
no distinct terminal band, white rump, white at the base of the primaries  
that ran out on the primaries. It was standing in the grass and I could not see 
 
its leggins. I kept resisting the Ferruginous idea because I could not see 
the  gape and I had not seen the under-wing.
 
The bird was too far away across a muddy field but I did manage to get  
closer and took some photo in the fast fading light in the hopes that the  
digital 
would catch some details that I could not see.
 
While talking to Gene Knight on the phone, the bird flew and I saw no  
patagial bar on the under-wing and as it lifted its body up before getting air  
borne I saw the feathered tarsus.
 
 After looking at the digi-scoped shots my wishes were granted as in  one 
shot you can barely see the yellow gape extending back to the eye and in one  
shot you can see the dark splotching on the sides have a reddish tint. I'll try 
 
to get these bad but diagnostic shots posted soon.
 
Good  Birding!!!
Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett,  TN


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