another white bird ID

[ironman]

Sorry no pic with this one. I have noticed a bird that I've spotted several times in the past couple weeks. It appears all white and soars very high. My first thought is obviously a gull but I dont make out any black tips on the wing and the wings themselves dont look gull like. The wings are broader, it almost looks like an all white hawk. It soars in the wind like one too, I'm pretty familiar with most birds but have no idea with this one. I coul have written this off as a albino or luecistic hawk of sometime but the first time a saw one there were three others. Four of them all just circling way up there. Anyone?

[jonny_redhorse]

pelicans maybe?...high flyers and have a large winspan...maybe

[ironman]

nope...definitely not pelicans. It probably is some kind of gull I'm guessing just because I cant think of anything better but they really dont appear gull like, the wings are too broad.

[Jackpine Rob]

Ospreys are pretty light-colored, and from beneath look white.

Just a thought...

[amoebus]

Northern Harriers appear all white from underneath. You usually don't find them soaring high up.

No markings at all? Are you looking at them with binoculars? What does the tail look like? Narrow and long or broad and spread out? Are you seeing them over open fields or cliffs or ??? Are they circling when they soar or heading in a general direction?

[jonny_redhorse]

I posted this pic a couple weeks back....a northern harrier...photo doesn't really show the white underside that good...maybe it'll help...

[Surface Tension]

I thought about the Ospreys as well. They do sore high this time of year during their mating ritual. You'd hear their calls if it were ospreys. Got a lake nearby?

[ironman]

I thought about all of those options, but I dont think so. On both sightings they where circling while soaring. I grew up in Orr, Mn so I pretty familiar with Ospreys...I suppose it could be a harrier but like previously mentioned I didn't think they soared that high. Sighting number one was in Watertown, SD and the other was in Elk River, MN just this week.