A good day for Centre County raptors

I had the pleasure of field birding with Drew Weber and his wife Justine this morning. Although it was a cold, brisk day, the raptors were hunting in the subfreezing temperatures. In every field we visited, a Red-tailed Hawk was either flying over or perched in a nearby tree. We had red-tails from juveniles to adults. A Northern Harrier was also soaring on Rt. 45 near Boalsburg. Also, an adult Red-shouldered Hawk was perched on a telephone wire on Rt. 322 near the south side of State College. In addition to the red-tails, red-shouldered, and harrier, I believe we had an American Kestrel perched on the top of a tree in a backyard near Rt. 45. Rough-legged Hawks eluded us this morning as we did search for them.

Here is a series of photos of a Red-tailed Hawk off Williams Rd. taken this morning: