Have you heard the news? A ferruginous hawk has been sited at Prairie State Park (this is the park where I work)!
Mature Ferruginous Hawk
Normally these hawks are found in the western half of our nation...from western Kansas to California...not here on the tallgrass prairies of southwest Missouri.
The hawk was first identified by a visitor to the park on November 23rd and was reported daily through the 29th; I found out about the hawk on December 5th and have looked for it ever since.
Over the month of December I've spotted hawks of practically every native kind...
...red-tailed...
...red-shouldered...
...rough-legged, broad-winged, northern harriers, and the smallest and one of the prettiest hawks in our state...the American Kestrel (a.k.a. a sparrow hawk)...
A couple of times I thought for sure that I had found the bird that I was seeking, but, much to my chagrin, after contacting a birding friend within the Missouri Department of Conservation, the hawks that I thought might be the ferruginous turned out to be nothing more than red-tails.
"Look at that beak!" my friend told me. "Look at the beak!"
Photo of Ferruginous Hawk Taken by Visitor
at Prairie State Park - November 23, 2020
Finally, on my way home from work on Monday, I spotted a really big hawk on top of a utility pole. I stopped and started taking pictures. None of the pictures turned out very good, but I could tell that the beak on this bird was different than the others.
On Tuesday my husband and I went back out and we discovered that the big hawk was hanging out in the same general area that I had seen it the day before. This time I got better pictures!
Immature Ferruginous Hawk
12/17/20
Prairie State Park
I again sent them to my friend in the Missouri Department of Conservation...and this time, he said, "Look at that beak!!! YES! You've got it!"
After days of looking I had finally found (and photographed) the ferruginous hawk!
Immature Ferruginous Hawk
12/17/20
Prairie State Park
It has now been added to my life-long bird list and I cannot tell you how excited I am about seeing it!
What about you? What kind of hawks do you have where you live?
Until next time...
~Rebecca
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