Need help with raptor ID plz!

[lulubelle]

Went to LLELA today, looking to get 5 new county birds. Got 23 and that is not counting this raptor! I am unsure of what this is - doesn't look like the raptors we usually see. I posted it on another forum and got possible Broad-wing from one, but he said it still didn't quite look exactly right for that either, another sad it didn't really look like the hawks he would xpect in this area.

It was on the ground, almost at the top of the dam as I drove into LLELA. It was unfazed atme taking photos from my car & didn't seem inclined to do more than look at me and fluff itself!

So here is my unsub hawk:



http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1438/...893c74f549.jpg



http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1246/...201baf7633.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1014/...bbb6c84e34.jpg

[Perry]

Swainson's Hawk - It's hard to identify without see the chest and underwing. The yellow on the bill, the dark patch below the eye, and white-throat say Swainson's. Here is close-up shot of a Swainson's.

http://www.ejphoto.com/images_of_the...sonsHawk07.jpg

You can see up close the smooth color of the head, dark patch under the eye, and the white-throat.

[Cal396]

I'm not sure of the ID. The typical large hawks in the area are Red-tailed, Broad-winged, Swainson's, and the smaller Northern Harrier and Mississippi Kite. The accipiters don't match, and other hawks such as Rough-legged and Ferruginous are quite rare in the area.
The bird is hard to ID without seeing the front or the tail, though the front loooks whie as far as I can tell. Did you ever see either one? Broad-wings have red barring across the chest and a striped tail, Swainson's have a rufous neck and a plain tail, Red-tails are mostly plain with a few vague streaks and (of course) a red tail, Harriers only live here in the winter (which probably rules them out) but have plain chests and white rump patches, and Mississippi Kites have completely white heads (which rules them out).
Another option is a light-morph of something. However, your bird looks the most like a White-tailed Hawk, which are extremely rare in this area, living on the Texas Coast only. They have rufous shoulder patches, which I don't see on your bird, but it could be the angle.

Let me know on the chest and tail.

This bird could be an unusual sighting or even a rarity.

Good birding,
Caleb

[lulubelle]

Cyn & Perry, plus 2 guys on another forum all vote for Swainson's! Caleb, I never got a look at the front of the bird - it was content to look at me and then fluff itself! It just seemed so much grayer than a Swainson's would be and so much white underneath. The wingtips seemd to extend to the tail...I know White-tail Hawk would be an amazing long shot, but with all the white and a hint of the rufus patch on the shoulder - I wish!!!

A good lesson for me - I really had to look at all aspects of this bird, from limited angles - I don't think I have scrutinized a bird this much in a while!

Thanks for all of the help guys!