My Eyes Spy a Stripe

Welcome to May everyone! I’d say that April went by fast, but I just think my time perception needs a calibration to make the accelerated calendar page turning frequency the new norm. I’ll just note when it goes slower than expected. A couple of quick notes on the personal front. Successfully completed my first ~9.5 mile nonstop run on pavement with some serious hills in the mix. There is still pain (norm per surgeon), but it feels strong and time to start pushing it to get back into ultra shape – yay!! The other note is we’ll be heading to the southwest in a couple of weeks for the Canine Performance Events Agility Nationals competition. Not exactly excited about the drive, but, as currently planned, at least 6 brand new states to bird and a pass through my favorite birding locations in Nevada and Arizona on the trek back. Translated, a lot more fodder to share on the blog – double yay!!

With that out of the way, let’s discuss May’s theme. Last month I hit you with the Breeding Season and a few months before that the Circle of Life. Thinking I am going with “Thank you sir, May I have another [chance]” (link here). Long form, I am always thankful for the opportunity to observe a given species, but at times I’d really appreciate another chance to execute on the capture. To a person, we here at Intrigued do our very best to bring you the very best photography product we can to accompany our experiences. Our cleaning personnel can attest to the piles of rejects on the cutting room floor in the digital darkroom. The downside is a number of our +1s from the field may go uncelebrated due to technical mistakes, obstructed views or fleeting observations. Every once in a while, I’ll comb through the trash and pull out a few shots to keep just as evidence for the listing. If you have seen the Listers documentary on YouTube (and you definitely should if you are a birder – link here), you’ve witnessed the feeling when a sighting is “stolen away”. We’ll see how this goes – might end it early if the images give me too much cringe – but let’s start with this +1 featured feathered friend.

Wait, that is definitely not a +1, hit the jump to learn about what was flying nearby which was definitely a lifer!

I often worry that people can hear what is going on inside my head when I am out in the field. For the record, it’s best you don’t know – one might question my sanity and pleasant disposition. From time to time, my filters fail and things come out louder than intended…and that happens most frequently when taking pictures of Turkey Vultures. Those that have had the opportunity to spend time with me in the field may have seen me pointing The Beast skyward and repeatedly saying “Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope….”. This is the reason for that weird behavior.

Given distance, this particular species can look identical to a Turkey Vulture. Confusing the situation is this particular non-Vulture species likes to hang out with .. wait for it…wait for it… TURKEY VULTURES.

I should clarify a bit, this litany of “Nopes” typically occurs when I am in the southwest, specifically along the Rio Grande Valley and Arizona as this is where this non-Vulture species tends to roam. Spot a Turkey Vulture rocking across the sky…or an entire flock kettling on the thermals – the only difference is the number of specimens in the area as each one will get their assessment no matter how long it takes (much to the annoyance of Linda who prefers to distance herself from her crazy mumbling husband drawing strange looks from the other birders).

Can anyone guess what I am specifically looking for? Hint, it is in the title. The answer is a single white stripe on the tail as that is the visible field marking from afar that will help distinguish your standard carrion bathing Vulture from the far more interesting Zone-Tailed Hawk. They both have dark leading edges on their wings with white on the trailing feathers, both have dark bodies and both have mastered thermal soaring. Sure, if you get close enough you can differentiate the hawk features from the nightmare ghoul profile of the Turkey, but let me tell you, at a distance, that is harder to tell than you would think. The single stripe (in the case of juveniles the multiple barring) can easily be detected from the all white (light) coloring of the tail on the Vulture.

Now there are some other characteristics that can help seal the deal if for some reason you can’t make out the stripe. The trailing white feathering on the wings will have a dark edging on them and internal barring where there Turkeys are white all the way to the end. Turkey heads are read, Zone-Tails have a dark head with a yellow bill. Cornell also says Turkeys will keep their tails closed while soaring where the Zone-Tailed will fan theirs out…do you see any fanning of the tails in these shots? The field eyes say that is BS hahahaha.

You happen to be looking at the very first Zone-Tailed Hawk I have ever seen and trust me, there has been a LOT of “Nopes” in my birding career. This was taken at a place called Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David, Arizona. If you happen to be near Benson, AZ, I highly recommend taking the extra 15 minutes or so and checking this place out. I’ve been there several times now and never disappoints. You may remember a previous post from this location that featured their resident Peacocks (link here). Quite the interesting place to enjoy the wildlife in a religious setting. Oh, and if you do go there, check if their gift shop is open and pick up some of their absolutely delicious pecans grown onsite.

Two other excellent locations to add the Zone-Tailed Hawk to your list is Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, TX and further down the valley, Salineño Wildlife Preserve where I saw two just this past January hanging out with …Turkey Vultures. You should be able to see them in a wide swath across the southwestern states – be sure and hit the “Sightings Map” tab on Cornell’s site to really see the opportunity versus the more restrictive “Range Map”.

Out of my (less than stellar) shots of this new species, let’s take a quick look for some interesting facts to take with you. Hmmm, this one from Cornell is intriguing. Apparently there are thoughts that this similarity to the Turkey Vulture may be leveraged as a way to mimic a less intimidating species (one that prefers the dead) and therefore can sneak up on unsuspecting prey. Has the feel of anthropomorphism to me (that’s a 20 point Scrabble word by the way). Their population appears to be growing in the US with this site estimating less than 2,000 here in the 2024 timeframe (link here). Most of their population is in Central America and a portion of South America and considered low conservation concern.

I’ll leave you with a shot of the huge cross at the monastery.

Take care and May the 4th be with you.