Results of Accipiter Photo Quiz - Part III of III
Here is a brief description of the accipiter written on the day of the
observation.
Across the gap to the north, it made wide, slow circles over, below and
around the tall tree without flapping in VERY brisk 28-35km/h NW winds. It
appeared flat-winged and steady. Birds, mostly Blue Jay and Northern
Flicker, popped up out of the trees and seemed to be in a real big hurry to
get out of the immediate vicinity. Observers could tell this was a large
bird. A sharp-shinned popped it a few times and there simply was NO
comparison other than a small bird against a much larger, buteo-sized bird.
A nearby Cooper's provided additional size comparison. For a few brief
seconds it fanned out the long tail that transformed into a short but broad
rounded shape looking much like a soaring Buteo with broad, rounded wings.
It seemed to transform from a Broad-winged into an immature Red-tailed.
From side view, the trailing edge of the secondaries seemed to bulge out,
giving the wings a more exaggerated rounded look with the short-rounded
tail. It had no detectable white terminal band (dorsal view); however, the
dark, blackish bands on a bluish-gray tail (upperside) could be easily seen.
Part of the upper wings seemed to have the same bluish gray color but mostly
brown. At times, underside seemed silvery. Even at distance across the
gap, observers could easily see it without aid of binoculars and it was
quickly picked up in camera's viewfinder. Flying straight on across the gap
heading south, wings remained extended, slowly gaining altitude on the
strong ridge lift. Straight on, the head appeared broad and it was very
deep-chested. Observers could not detect noticeable flapping. A small bird
flew quickly over it and at first one observer thought it was a Chimney
Swift due to small size compared to the much larger accipiter. The Chimney
Swift was in fact a Sharp-shinned flying over the immature Northern Goshawk!
This bird was photographed between 1:31 - 1:35 pm EST. Further south, at
Harvey's Knob, which I believe is approximately 73 miles "due south" of
Rockfish Gap, an immature NOGO was reported one hour later at approximately
2:30 p.m. EST. Considering the very strong NW winds for one heck of a tail
wind, it's feasible they were the same bird.
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Brenda Tekin
Charlottesville, VA
"Leave behind what you find; if you must take something, take pictures."
Digital Photography, including Birds of Virginia:
http://www.birdsofvirginia.com
