Bird identification while driving is, to say the least, an iffy pursuit. But our Easter weekend drive through northeastern PA and central NY yielded:
1 wild turkey.
1 rough-legged hawk–on the ground, with prey.
15 turkey vultures.
1 red-tailed hawk.
1 raven.
And the usual assortment of other members of the family corvidae. (crows, blue jays).
We spotted the rough-legged hawk standing tall on a grass median. It was startling to see a bird that big so close to the road, with such bold features–and since we passed it doing 75 mph, I wasn't sure about the identification until we got home and I checked the Sibley guide.
Now, we've got brown-headed cowbirds hitting our feeder–8 at a time. The boat-tailed grackles have hung around, too, though the redwing blackbirds seem to have moved on. We've not seen the cowbirds here before in the six years we've lived in this house; I don't recall seeing them inside city limits before at all.
Sean M. Gallagher 