ML629237285

Observation details

As I was leaving, I noticed a raptor flying low over the road just south of Lot 3, just at approximately 12:20pm, and stopped to snap a few quick photos. The bird was flying maybe 50 feet off the ground into strong westerly wind, and with wings held at a slight dihedral which contributed to my misidentifying it as a harrier in the field. After hearing about a report on iNaturalist on the same date I went back through my photos from Parker River NWR that day and realized what I’d seen was in fact a light-morph Swainson’s Hawk, almost certainly the same bird photographed and reported as a red-tailed hawk on iNaturalist, and very likely the same bird sighted on Jan 17, 2025. Photos clearly show characteristic dark “bib”, 4 primaries, white rump, along with M shape to wings and slight dihedral when soaring.