Hi everyone,
Here are the comments of raptor expert Brian Wheeler, which I appreciate, on the photos of the dark harrier seen yesterday at Douglas Reservoir (Larimer):
["This is a juvenile male by eye color (dark brown on females). It is dark, but I think if you saw the ventral, it would still be orange as a normal bird. The head and neck are showing normal coloration, albeit, yes, quite dark.
I think this youngster is a saturated plumaged bird, but still normal.
I think there are less than five melanistic records, and most have been adults for some reason."]
So, there you have it. I am going up to Douglas Res. this morning and will try for pics of the underparts and rump. One picture I saw on-line of a true dark harrier lacked a white rump. My feeble recollection of the Douglas bird is that, when it flew, the rump was white. Hawks are, indeed, variable. Light, dark, rufous, male, female, juvenile, subspecific differences, hybrids, and now a new one on me, "saturated plumaged" individuals. Maybe this bird just flew off a Sibley field guide plate?
Raptors are interesting in habits and looks, to be sure.
In total violation of the rules, since I don't have a site and the photo is a small file, a pic of the Douglas bird is attached. Don't send me to jail, Todd.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
Here are the comments of raptor expert Brian Wheeler, which I appreciate, on the photos of the dark harrier seen yesterday at Douglas Reservoir (Larimer):
["This is a juvenile male by eye color (dark brown on females). It is dark, but I think if you saw the ventral, it would still be orange as a normal bird. The head and neck are showing normal coloration, albeit, yes, quite dark.
I think this youngster is a saturated plumaged bird, but still normal.
I think there are less than five melanistic records, and most have been adults for some reason."]
So, there you have it. I am going up to Douglas Res. this morning and will try for pics of the underparts and rump. One picture I saw on-line of a true dark harrier lacked a white rump. My feeble recollection of the Douglas bird is that, when it flew, the rump was white. Hawks are, indeed, variable. Light, dark, rufous, male, female, juvenile, subspecific differences, hybrids, and now a new one on me, "saturated plumaged" individuals. Maybe this bird just flew off a Sibley field guide plate?
Raptors are interesting in habits and looks, to be sure.
In total violation of the rules, since I don't have a site and the photo is a small file, a pic of the Douglas bird is attached. Don't send me to jail, Todd.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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