Wildlife portrait of the month: Mystery Hawk

The following are pictures of a hawk I have yet to positively identify.  It has been suggested to me that this is a Red Tailed Hawk and it was also suggested that it is a juvenile Swainson's hawk, partly from the pictures I presented and partly because of a description of the events surrounding the sighting of this hawk that I gave.  However I still have some doubts.  To see these pictures clearly just click on them.  What do you think?  Please leave a comment and let me know.

Perched Quietly

Turning

Red Tail Feathers coming in?

Wings Spread fully

In Flight

Enjoy,

Susan

Five reliable observations to help identify birds

Some birds such as Blue Jays, are easily identified, especially if they are native to your area, abundant in numbers or brightly colored.  Sometimes however, it isn't quite that easy.  So here are five helpful ways to identify birds which are unfamiliar to you.

House Wren

Red Tailed Hawk

Three reasons to keep your birdfeeders full for spring migration

Bird feeder in my front yard

According to the face book page of the "Friends of the Swainson's Hawk" spring  migration has begun down south.  That does not necessarily mean that migratory birds will arrive here early.  It does mean however that when they do begin arriving in a little more than three to four weeks, these birds will be exhausted from their long and arduous journey.

Raven love : the intelligence of spring fever

Raven's flight silhouette

Several weeks ago I saw a Raven pair in mating flight.  It was minus thirty five degrees outside at the time; very typical February weather for us here in Alberta.   At first I thought perhaps I mistook what I saw.   After all spring, when the weather is warming and things are re-awakening to life, is the season for mating and nesting, as we all know.   But then a little more than a week ago, I saw these same Raven's carrying nesting materials back and forth between the little forest to the west of my house, and their nesting site somewhere to the east, confirming what I had seen.