In fact, this time of year it is quite hard to miss Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, and today's featured bird, the Red-tailed Hawk. And with a bit of luck you may also spot Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk, and perhaps a White-tailed Kite.
During the Phoenix Area Aquatic Bird Count I had to drive from the far eastern developments of Maricopa southwest-ward towards some canals. This took me across a nice stretch of undeveloped desert and farmland.
Along this drive I noticed a nice looking Red-Tailed Hawk sitting on a berm adjacent to a stretch of agricultural land. I pulled up nearby, and turned the car off (even an idling car creates too much vibration for a crisp photo. I stayed in he car to use it like a blind (which can be very helpful when roadside birding).

Well, I can't say that I really needed another nice Red-tailed Hawk photo, so I'm not too upset about only getting fly-away shots. Regardless, Red-tailed Hawks are amazing birds to observe. There are so many plumage variations (some of which lack the red tail) that I still like to take every chance I get to study them.
Speaking of the red tail, as you can see below, this one certainly had it!
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