Surprise Between 8,530 & 11,120' Above Sea Level~

We raced to get to Glacier National Park before the "Going to the Sun Road closed for some serious road improvements.  Almost as soon as we had arrived, of course...the rains came. I was really bummed, but still had my window partially down just in case. Then when we reached one of the highest points in the park, a road crew person with a bright yellow rain gear on said that we needed to pull over behind the cars in front of us, to allow the heavy equipment people to being in their rigs , in preparation for the road work which would begin the next morning, when they closed this main road for the season. It was raining hard, we were already just about to plunge off of the rim of the mountain, well it seemed like it and they wanted us to move closer to the edge. Bill obliged, while I was having heart failure, well maybe not, but I could have... It was after he put the car in park, that I took a peek outside my window...and there it was. The most amazingly gorgeous bird, just perched there, as though it had been placed there just to make me feel better, and it did too.



I want to thank my friend Pete Gustas for nailing down the ID of this beauty. An immature dark/rufous Red-tailed Hawk. Pete said that it may get even darker after it molts. It was such a beautiful rich colouration and I was happy, happy. This may also be an intergrade bird, meaning... " Intergrades between Western and “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawks, which sometimes interbreed where their ranges overlap in Alaska and Canada.


It turned out to be a marvelous day after all;)

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