[mou] Buteo City, Dakota Co.; ID Help Anyone?

[Stan & Molly Jo Miller-Johnson]

Greetings Birders,

I'm sorry to be so late on this message, but time has been flying lately.  In the last three weeks I've been seeing an inordinate number of buteos at the divergence of MN Hwys 52 and 55 in Inver Grove Hts.  We always have Red-tails in this area, but this is ridiculous.  I've seen at least six Red-tails basically at the same time in places very closely spread around this area.  

Then there was a Red-shouldered Hawk that hung out near the Dakota Co. Inver Glen Library (SE corner of 80th St and Blaine; NE corner of HWY 52/55 divergence; off to right as HWY 52 heads north).  Two different days it was overlooking the little pond right off the library parking lot.  One day I got to watch it preen.  When it flipped up its tail and showed off its contrasting black and white tail against the white sky background, it looked like a stunning modern painting.

A couple different days I've tried to figure out a dark hawk hanging around the SE corner of the divergence of HWY 52/55.  It perches in the trees on the south side of the frontage road (Courthouse Blvd) as it heads southeast off Barnes Ave. (which passes over HWY 55 just after Hwy 52 heads north).  It is possible that it is a dark Rough-legged Hawk, although it sits around like a Red-tail.  A couple years ago there was a dark Rough-leg that would hunt in the median between the Hwy 52/55 split.  It was pretty easy to identify because it sat out on the tippy tips of the small deciduous trees--and no Red-tail was going to go there!  

This dark bird seems to have the "variable white streaks on breast" as shown the Sibley Guide, Harlan's Red-tails.  I've only been able to catch it flying in my direction once, and its underside in that quick look could've been either the Rough-leg or Red-tail as shown in Sibley.  But, it doesn't have the same uniform blackness that the previous dark Rough-leg Hawk had, nor that is shown in Sibley.  Its beak seems quite large, but my optics really aren't good enough to use that as a way to sort out the Rough-leg. 

If anyone can positively identify this dark morph buteo, I would love to hear it.  I guess I've never seen a dark Red-tailed and don't want to assume, in error, that it is Rough-legged, just because seeing a dark Rough-leg is much more logical than seeing a dark morph or Harlan's Red-tail.  Know what I mean?  One thing I know for sure is that it does not have a red tail!!

Thanks for any help possible.

Molly Jo Miller
Inver Grove Hts, Dakot Co.

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