January 18, 19 & 20, 2022
Getting away late from home worked well for reaching the Hot Spot in Queen Creek for the rare ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Taking Ellsworth Road South to Germann, I turned left there (thanks to directions from Samantha Starr) where I was able to park in a dirt pull-off beside a few remaining open fields down there. Many fields there are now growing houses instead of grasses and bushes.
Not seeing any raptors with my naked eye, I found them with my binoculars. As each circled high overhead on the thermals closer to where I stood I was able to get very good views of the ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. The RED-TAILED attacked it at least twice which I watched with the RLHA coming out the victor both times, even though it is a bit smaller than the Red-tailed. In the photo below, the Red-tailed is diving toward the Rough-legged in defensive mode.
Thrilled to find this bird so close to home, it had been a nemesis for me to find in the White Mountains in winter. Not a Lifer, but certainly the best photos (as distant as they are) were exciting to capture. The above photos show a pale form of the species and possibly a juvenile.
After I had stood next to the field taking pictures for about thirty minutes, Jim Ripley a great birder that used to come to all the weekend Bird Walks at BTA showed up. He did well to hold his big lens freehand to catch some spectacular views. He shared a few pics with me, one is below.
Diana Spanger, whose lists I often see from the same places I bird frequently, showed up right before I left. It was good to meet her. She had been birding the opposite side of the same field but must have spotted Jim and me at our location. Good to finally meet her.
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