Wednesday, April 26, 2006

White-Tailed Hawk in NJ?!


I just got a rare bird alert email saying that a White-Tailed Hawk was spotted at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge about 30 minutes from my house! Holy smokes!

This extreme rarity is usually found only as north as Texas and is considered non-migratory. There was one seen in western Massachusetts as late as Monday afternoon. The Mass. hawk showed asymmetrical wear on its primaries, so we'll have to see if this is the same bird. Wouldn't that be something?

I've seen White-Tailed Hawk in the Rio Grande Valley where it is frequently found. It was actually my 400th ABA bird. If it sticks around until tomorrow, I will definitely take a stab after work. It would be a nice addition to my NJ list. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it tonight. The swamp is going to be a zoo of birders!

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