Name that hawk game! Update with new hawk

[JayinMN]

I saw a lot of hawks this morning but hardly now what any of them are. I got some not so great pictures of two though. Any ideas. The first one soars around then stopped and hoovers looking for prey. I think it might be a rough legged hawk.

This was a different bird and I have no idea what it is.

I know this one! A kestrel!

[Steve Foss]

Hey Jay, all the first three are rough-legged hawks, with the first two being light-morph birds and the last one a dark-morph bird that would have been totally dark brown on top. The strong terminal band on the tail and the dark patches at the elbows under the wings are the classic telltales for the light- and intermediate-morph rough-legged hawk.

[DonBo]

The first photo I believe is a pair of Goshawk. The second, a Rough-Legged.

[jonny_redhorse]

Nice captures Jay!...that area along hwy 7 sure has alot of hawks for sure....no doubt "perfect" for those feeding hawks,vast areas unbroken of trees to obscure the hawks vision while hunting...just a natural area for hawks, eagles, and owls!(and shrikes)....Lot of people don't realise how great an area that bog really is and how much wildlife it holds!....We do!

[JayinMN]

Ok, here is another looks like Johnny got a picture of it too but no one identified it yet.

[finnbay]

I've seen a couple of these around, too, but have no idea what it is.

[jonny_redhorse]

Yes Jay,I saw what looked like some of the same hawks as you no doubt ...the open savannahs, glades, and fields were full of all kinds of hawks for sure....I must have seen 25-30 flying across #7 hovering like helicopters looking for "that mouse"or whatever...I blew a few good photo ops as a couple were sitting on telephone poles and spooked as I approached ...I drive about 5mph down hwy 7 and I even have a stiff neck from swinging it back and forth looking for critters and creatures ...hardly no traffic this morning down that way....I did meet an older gentleman from michigan with his tripod on the shoulder of the hwy(was there for a couple hours he said) at the intersection of Sax road and 7 waiting for a photo op for trains!...he drove all the way from the UP just to get a pic of a train in the Sax bog!...go figure!

"take what you can get" image of a kestrel I think

and the image you refering to,not sure what species it is

[mmeyer]

Looks like a Northern Harrier according to my book. I think we saw a couple of these today too.

[JayinMN]

I agree, it has to be a male Northern harrier. I see them alot flying along highways, never really knew what they were though. They have a really neat style of hunting flying. I need to get me a driver so I can concentrate more on the pictures and less on keeping the car on the highway.....

[Steve Foss]

It's neat that the harriers are back. They are one of the few hawks a person actually has a good chance at photographing because they hunt so low to the ground.

These silvery males are distinctly smaller than the brown-streaked females.

[buzzsaw]

I saw a Harrier tonight in Murphy Hanrehan park... it was flying low and slow across the grassy field.