ML320110011

Observation details

An exciting, unexpected find, and a County bird for me. Initially spotted around noon while observing a Red-tailed Hawk, with Jim Covert. It was very high and soaring, hanging over a little ridge and some pasture lands. When it dropped down lower, I was able to get a better view. It was an extremely exciting moment when the realization hit me as to what I was looking at when it made a sweeping turn, and the sunlight revealed it's diagnostic field marks. The golden nape lit up, and the whitish patches under its wings were clearly visible. The tail was white underneath, until the dark, thick terminal band about 2/3 of it's length down. After a bit of binocular observation, I got on it with my Swarovski ATS 20x20-60 spotting scope and watched it circling around through that for awhile. It took a dive at the aforementioned Red-tailed Hawk, confirming the great size difference between the two, before casually soaring in an eastward tack away from us, and toward Olean, until it was out of sight. Total observation time was from noon until 12:10 pm, about 10 minutes. Distant but diagnostic photos were taken, and will be uploaded later. A life bird for Jim Covert.