Friday's Foto

The Rough-legged Hawk comes in two plumage variations known as "dark morph" and "light morph". Pictured here is a typical light morph. Found in the northern reaches of the northern hemisphere, they breed in arctic and subarctic regions. Not normally found around New York City, during "irruptive" years they can be observed as large numbers move far south of their winter range in search of food. This is one of those years. Look for this medium-sized raptor hunting over open fields by hovering in place, similar to the much smaller kestrel. In Brooklyn, check for them at Floyd Bennett Field, Marine Park, Plum Beach or the capped landfills at Fountain and Pennsylvania Avenues.