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I responded earlier to Trish that a Harris's Hawk would be extremely
unusual here in northern Utah, but that bird certainly is one. I don't
know of another western hawk that has that coloration, including the dark rusty
leggings, not the auburn rust of a Ferruginous, plus the feathers on the
Ferruginous cover clear down to the toes, which doesn't occur on this
bird.
My question is - what is the gadget on the front talons of this bird?
It looks like some sort of a metal clamp or jess. Could this be an escaped
captive bird that someone has had? And the fact that it seems to be
familiar with a wading pool. Because the Harris's Hawk is a Lower Sonoran
bird, it would be so unusual to have a wild one come all this way north and so
much higher in altitude all on its own.
The next question is - is the bird still in the neighborhood or has it
disappeared, possibly flown back to its pen? I was down in the area
Monday where Trish mentioned that it had occurred on, but didn't see it.
Good photos, Trish.
--Steve Carr |