ML23984991

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

I saw this bird overhead and originally thought Osprey. I quickly realized it was not an osprey, although it held its wings like an osprey and underside coloration was similar with light breast and forewings, but dark trailing wing edges and wingtips. It also had a dark hood which extended beyond the head onto the upper breast. It soared directly overhead, maybe 100 feet above, giving us decent looks through binoculars. It was in the company of Turkey Vulture for size comparison, and was definitely smaller, but not as much difference as would be expected for a Short-tailed Hawk. I took pictures, and thought I had captured the bird well. Unfortunately, they are badly backlit. When lightened, all pictures show the hood as well as the light/dark contrast of the underside. All pictures also show a profile with long, pointed wings typical of this species. I observed this species relatively regularly during a "Western" trip in Summer 2015, and feel confident of this ID.

Technical information

Model

DMC-FZ100

ISO

200

Focal length

108 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

3648 pixels x 2736 pixels

Original file size

1.59 MB