Forest Lawn Cemetery Borealis.
I finally purchased a decent used lens... (THANK YOU David Crow!). I've neglected to post a bunch of recent photo sessions, but really loved the juvenile and transitional plumage Red-tailed Hawks I found at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, NY this morning. A nice bicycle ride around the grounds allowed me to hear the food begging calls of the juvenile. The flight photo of the adult-like bird is an interesting study of transitional plumage. Note that at least 7 primary flight feathers have a dark terminal band while the secondaries and some primaries lack this feature. The dark terminal band is a feature of adult RTHA flight feathers, while the rest are still juvenile. Another note is the light eyes in contrast to a seemingly red tail. It takes anywhere from 2-3 years for most RTHA to gain the dark brown eyes of adults. The last and final note on this transitional plumage is the juvenile tail feather just barely visible below the red adult ones. Note the light coloration and dark banding extending the length of the feather. I watched the recent fledgling (indicated by the buff colored bib) practice hunting for a while, and finally fly to mother to beg for food. What a great day. CHeck out this article by Jerry Liguori on bib coloration: Hawkwatch International