New Haven CT USA, eagle in flight or a hawk? (1 Viewer)

[Craig Houghton]

I was watching a red-tailed hawk circle by the waterfall at the dam by the Whitney Museum beside the cliffs of East Rock in New Haven CT when a larger bird crossed its path and flew out of my view. I assumed it was a turkey vulture. My attention turned to a nearby lbj which I photographed. I looked back up over the dam a few moments later and snapped these two pics. It was large and had a slow and sweeping wingbeat.

The tail looks awfully fanned and those tips have me all sorts of hopeful. Could this be a golden or a juvenile bald? It's probably a red-tailed in another clever disguise -- that happens to me a lot. After all, I did look away and then back.

-Craig

 

[steveo]

It is a Red-tailed Hawk.

 

[MLoyko]

At first I thought a golden eagle because of the white at the rump and the golden look of the head but I'm not sure. The second picture looks like the tail has some red in it, whether or not that is a camera affect or the actual tail color I don't know. So my guess is either of the two Golden eagle or Red-tailed hawk but not Bald Eagle.

-Matt

EDIT: posting at the same time as steveo and it looks like I did see red in the tail compared to his answer

 

[DuckWatcher]

I agree RTH