Since I was visiting the in-laws out in Beaumont over the holidays, I decided to take a quick peek at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area to see what raptors the cold winter air had brought in. It was pretty dismal with just a few Kestrel’s here and there but after about 30 min I saw a raptor way off in the distance perched on a post in the middle of a field. I first noticed the nice black tail-band so the first thing that popped in my head was Rough-legged Hawk. I snapped a few pictures slowly working my way closer to it. I was so concentrated on trying to get the best pictures possible I didn’t really stop and take the time to actually ID the bird… After looking at the photos later I now realize it was simply a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk (and quite obvious too).
Ferruginous Hawk (juv)
On the way out from SJWA I had a flock of about 50 Mountain Bluebirds, a very cooperative Cassin’s Kingbird and lots of Savannah Sparrows perched along the fenceline.
Mountain Bluebird
Cassin’s Kingbird
Savannah Sparrow
Rob Maurice
September 22, 2012 at 11:14 am
Spectacular photos! Congratlations. I would like to use your mountain bluebird photo as an element in a logo for a small (ok, tiny) company, Bluebird Development Laboratories, Inc. We are a CAD drafting service in Sandpoint, Idaho. The mountain bluebird is the state bird of Idaho, hence the company name. My idea is to perch the bluebird on a caliper. I would very much appreciate hearing from you.