19_redtailed_hawk_closeup   (19/26)

Here's one now soaring just past the light tower. The broad tailfeathers distinguish it from the Cooper's hawk, and the dark brown line along the leading edges of its wings mark it as a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). The incompletely formed band around the bird's abdomen indicate this is an adolescent, probably part of a family, as hawks aren't social hunters.