I've been gone a week, but went out to the Cornell compost today to census crows and had a few noteworthy birds. In addition to the American and Fish crows I was seeking, I saw a single adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and an unexpected first-cycle ICELAND GULL. The Iceland was very pale and quite small, a good head smaller than the Herring Gulls around it. White wingtips, pale back, short, all-black bill. No Franklin's Gull, although I was hoping to find one to make my 10th gull species there.
Most unusual bird was a very dark, western calurus-type Red-tailed Hawk. I looked up and saw it soaring over the compost, coming in from the north. It was an all dark hawk, with head, body, and underwings all dark; lighter, but not bright primaries and secondaries, and a lighter, red tail. I got it in my binoculars and whipped my car around to get a better look. It sailed high over the compost, then joined in with another Red-tailed Hawk (a normal, pale-bellied bird) and circled over the fields to the east. My first thought was western red-tail, but I asked myself what was the most likely dark buteo? Rough-legged Hawk is the most common dark hawk around here, and it is getting on into late November, so that would have to be the most likely thing. But, the bird did not have white in the primaries or at the base of the tail, and when I got the scope on it, the tail was definitely red. As I watched in the scope it banked towards me as it soared in a circle, and the head and breast showed dark reddish, contrasting slightly with the darker belly and underwings. It looked like a typical dark western Red-tailed Hawk, with noticeable fine dark barring in the flight feathers and tail. It circled with the other Red-tail and a couple of Turkey Vultures, and then drifted off to the SE over Ellis Hollow. I got some photos and will post the best ones soon. Other birds of notes were 40 Brown-headed Cowbirds and a Fox Sparrow. Kevin -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
