Rough-legged Hawk in Hennepin County
2020-11-27

Uncommon in Hennepin County in the Fall season

Rough-legged Hawk attacking Red-tailed Hawk at Hwy 62 and Hwy 77 in Minneapolis, MN. The hawks had been perched on light posts on either side of Hwy 77 when I stopped to observe from the frontage road. I was not disappointed, as the Red-tailed dropped onto something in the ditch and the Rough-legged then dropped to attack the Red-tailed, bowling the Red-tailed over and tussling before taking off again without a catch. The Red-tailed then flew off, also empty-handed. This particular Red-tailed is quite a pale bird with a largely white head and extensive white at the base of its tail.

Chris Mansfield