ML95721981

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Tags

No bird

Media notes

Indication of "pointed' wings and very long tail appearing slightly wedged here

Observation details

Noted initially rising just over treetops west of the farm fields as viewed from the highway pulloff near the Ericksen Barn. Although immediately obvious as a large accipiter due to a longish tail, the broad wings and size gave it almost a buteo-like feel as well. We initially viewed with binoculars, but we were able to study it through scopes as it continued to rise, circle, and slowly head northwesterly. Before noting what we consider the final key identifying feature of this juvenile Gos, there were a few other things other than the perceived large size that set it off from an immature female Cooper's Hawk. The wings were quite broad and tapered toward the tips. The tail was exceptionally long but also noticeably broad and seemed wedge shaped as well in some of the circling. The wings were held horizontally with a slight droop at the tips. Finally, the feature that nicely sealed it for us was a quite obvious light upper wing bar visible on a number of the turns. This was a narrow whitish line formed along the edge of the upper wing coverts

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

800

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/25.0

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

430 pixels x 388 pixels

Original file size

51.52 KB