Sunday, July 27, 2014

Couldn't Find the Kids.. But Found Swainson's Hawks!

I took a trip downtown this morning looking for our Juvies. I didn't see them or the adults. I stuck around for 30 minutes, then drove down to 100 South to look at the south faces of the tall buildings. Nothing.


So I made a stop by the McDonald's at 4500 S. and I-15, because I heard there was a nest of Golden eagles there in the trees just east of McDonald's. I found three juvenile Swainson's Hawks in intermediate morph stage. I am not smart enough to know that... I posted the photos on Utah Birding Facebook page and someone identified them for me. They are so big, like dogs sitting in the tree! Have to be twice the size of our Peregrine falcons. I had on my Sanuk sandals, all clean and pink and brand new (and not cheap either). I hadn't planned on being anywhere but a sidewalk. The only way to get this image was to climb the sandy dirt hill across the side street from McDonald's. I didn't even hesitate.







4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great photos, Liz. Based on a tip from Patricia, when I watched this Swainson's family on July 19, all I could decipher on the nest were, at best, two young-of-the-year.

Valarie and I saw all three peregrine kids this a.m. (<07:30 a.m. on July 28)... Gateway West Tower, Eagle Gate Tower (World Trade Center) and finally the Regent Tower

RW

Molly said...

Thanks for sacrificing your sandals to get these great shots.

Gessie Rosimond said...

Yes, thank you for forgetting about your sandals - these photos are great!!

Anonymous said...

July 31 at 07:49 - <08:01 a.m. All three kids observed: Ace and Hunter remain best of buds, perched, more or less, side by side near the northwest shoulder level corner of the World Trade Center (formerly Eagle Gate Tower), while Skye was perched (and wailing) on a wide ledge close to the northwest corner on the Kirton-McConkie Building and then flying north along the east face of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and, then, to the north/northwest and out of view.
RW