# 89-B-06

DAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: 
Red-shouldered Hawk, probably of the California/elegans subspecies

HOW MANY: 1

REPORTER:  Cliff Weisse, 4125 Beaver Springs Rd., Island Park, ID 83429
208-5
REPORTER EMAIL:  cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

OTHER OBSERVERS: Lisa Weisse

DATE REPORT PREPARED:  12/19/06

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED:  12/18/06

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION:
North bank of Snake River downstream from Walter's Ferry, Canyon County, 7.8 miles west of ID 45 on Map Rock Rd.

HABITAT:Riparian

CONDITIONS: Late afternoon with low sun partially behind bird, and after sun set.  Clear sky, cold temps (about 15-20 degrees) with light wind (didn't affect scope). Distance 25 yard to 300 yards.  Binocs were Nikon Premier 10 x 42 and nikon Premier 10 x 32, scope Swarovski 80mm HD w/20-60 eye piece. 

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?:  Yes, during the observation

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: 
Yes, during the observation

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

Sibley Guide to Birds of North America
Wheeler photographic guide to raptors of western North America. 

DESCRIPTION: 
Small compact buteo appeared heavy bodied when perched, obviously chunkier than accipiters, with primaries well short of end of tail.  Wings were much longer than accipiters in flight.

-Head dark brown with pale supercilium visible behind eye only; dark post-ocular stripe

-Nape dark brown with a few tan streaks

-Bill bluish with black tip

-Eye dark-didn't notice any specific color.

-Back dark brown with white spots on wing coverts.  Some spots were round and sharply demarcated on wing coverts, the rest were paler (not quite stark white) and irregularly shaped coverts and scapulars.  Upperparts were quite extensively marked with pale/white, not limited to wing coverts.

-Tail (upperside) had black and tan bars.  Bars were wide, not narrow like juvenile Red-taileds or eastern races of Red-shouldered, but I couldn't count the exact number of bars visible because of branches obstructing view. Black bars were about twice as wide as the tan bars. 

-underparts fairly heavily marked with bark brown.  Exact arrangement of markings not seen well but there was a definite rufous wash on upper breast.  I only observed the underparts with binocs and for a short duration when first seen.  It always landed with its back to us after the first perch.

-Upper side of primaries in flight had very obvious pale whitish bar across primaries near end of wing.  This was a narrow bar curving across the primaries and it crossed most or all of the outer wing.

BEHAVIOR: 
When first noticed it was perched in a Russian Olive next to the road.  When I tried to photograph it (unsuccessfully), it flew across the narrow channel in the river and perched in a deciduous tree.  It flew short distances every few minutes and landed high in deciduous trees and once on a snag(atop a broken tree trunk).  Flight was low to the ground/water. When it approached a perch it angled sharply up to the perch on set wings, very much like an accipiter. 

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?

I suspected Red-shouldered Hawk immediately when I noticed the bird perched based on it's sixe and shape and pointed it out as such.  Observation with binoculars revealed several field marks including the color and thickness of tail bands, dark head, heavily marked underparts and rufous wash on breast.  When it flew the obvious bar across the primaries further confirmed the ID.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?
The only other buteo that approaches Red-shouldered in size is Broad-winged, which is not expected at this time of ear, and can be eliminated by relative width of tail bands and pale bar across primaries. Other buteos also lack pale the narrow bar across primaries and don't have tails with such wide bands.  Accipiters aren't as heavy-bodied, have shorted wings in flight, and lack the pale bars on primaries.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): 
 I've seen about eight Red-shouldered Hawks.  I've seen quite a few Broad-wingeds during migration in NJ, mostly adults, and several adult and juvenile Broad-wingeds in ID.  I see Red-tailed and Swainson's daily in summer.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE:   14 years

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: 
None