Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk: First Species of 2014

As a passenger in a van pool I often have my eyes peeled for raptors perched along the freeway. Fortunately, most of the raptors that have caught my eye have been perched near the point where I leave the van to enter my own vehicle. Tuesday night, December 31st, a particular Red-tailed Hawk near my freeway exit caught my attention. The "get a better look at that raptor" alarm went off. I got off the van and into my truck and backtracked to the hawk's location. I noticed a snowy white chest contrasting with some coarse dark markings on the belly. As I approached I pulled out the binoculars and confirmed my suspicions. It was an adult light-morph Harlan's Hawk with a contrasting dark and light head, more dark marking on the belly and chest than I've seen on light Harlan's thus far, and a beautiful, mostly white tail. It became my sixth individual Harlan's Hawk sighting for for this wintering season. Harlan's Hawks nest in Alaska and northwest Canada. They range down into the western states during the winter months.

I had my camera with me, but it was late afternoon and clouds filled the sky. I took some photos purely for documentation purposes and went home. I returned to the location Wednesday, January 1st, and the hawk was still present. The sun was out and lowering in the sky. It allowed for much better photos than the night before. I was delighted, as a raptor lover, to have the last species photographed in 2013 and the first species photographed in 2014 be a beautiful, adult light-morph Harlan's Hawk.

This particular hawk showed no banding in the flight or tail feathers. The tail was mostly white with some dark mottling near the tips of the under tail. The upper tail showed a rufous base and some rufous tips to outer tail feathers with a dark thin line near the tip of most of the remaining tail feathers.  Otherwise, the tail was a clean white. The under tail coverts were snowy white with a few rufous spots. White speckling on the upper side was very limited in the scapular area. White streaking was seen on the crown, nape and upper back.

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT

Adult Light-morph Harlan's Hawk in Lehi, UT