Sep 4, 2024
Recent birds: Immature gray hawk / aguililla gris (Buteo plagiatus) at Sonoita Creek, Patagonia, Arizona.
This very young bird isn’t showing any of the beautiful plumage of a mature gray hawk. Adult birds have uniform steely gray feathers above, and delicate stripes below. What he has mastered is the gray hawks’ distinctive call — like a baby in distress. This bird called constantly, though mother bird stayed impassively distant. Independence and self sufficiency are hard lessons for little birds.
