Red-tailed Hawk

A pre-Christmas hike at Volo Bog in northern Illinois produced some interesting bird sightings, and the scattered feathers from a bird that met its demise. With my trusty LX5 in my pocket, I was much better equipped to photograph the feathers than the Northern Harrier we saw nearby. So here are the feathers. Please let me know if you can identify the species. My best guess is an American Goldfinch, not because I am knowledgeable about feathers but because there were a number of them at the area headquarter’s feeding station nearby.

Heading back after a long hike around the bog in snow, I spotted a hawk in a tree near the road. My daughter, Jennifer, made a U-turn and, with a large truck bearing down on us, cruised slowly in the right-hand lane while I took some photos out the window. The bird was a beautiful specimen of a red-tailed hawk. Here are three photos.