I've been trying to ID this hawk for a few days now. Took the pic near Cayucos on California's Central Coast. I thought it was a northern harrier, but a couple of commenters on Google+'s bird forum says it's a red-tail hawk, which have a wide variety of markings.
Another complicating factor: a few miles north, I took these photos earlier this year of what I thought was a juvenile bald eagle. Now I'm not sure if that was an eagle, nor do I know what I saw the other day. HELP! Feel free to leave a comment or tweet me.
Another couple of shots from the raptor near Cayucos are below -- clouds were moving in and out of the area, which was only a few hundred yards from the beach.
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--S.H.
The photos above are ©Steve Hymon and may not be used elsewhere without my advanced written permission. All rights reserved.