Good evening everyone! I was on a lunch break yesterday afternoon near S. Buckley Rd. and E. Alameda Ave., on the street to nowhere just northwest of that intersection by the old trees. I was watching a Red-tailed Hawk circling around with a Turkey Vulture when I caught a raptor I am completely baffled by. It was soaring around lazily with the Red-tailed Hawk and would occasionally perch, but out of range of a camera.
The bird was not as bulky and chonky as the Red-tail, but I'd say size range for a Swainson's. What's weird, the bird had very noticeable white/light colored "patch" markings on the dorsal side of each wing, right near the primary coverts (reminding me of a Common Nighthawk, but much larger), compared to the sandy/buff color of the rest of the wing and body. Dorsally, the tail was the same, light color with no discernible striping, bars, or color. I have not seen this kind of color/pattern in a raptor and want to ask if this is something you guys are familiar with? I really wish I had a picture because the coloring was bizarre to me. Any thoughts of similar sightings would be great! Julie Martinez Aurora, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/81138a44-4f60-4ad8-82a8-7e5972f34a74%40googlegroups.com.
