When I saw your post, my frist thought was we don't have ospreys in Iowa....they live near the ocean or a bay. Then I googled ospreys in Iowa....found there has been a program to re introduce them into suitable habitats and even if there seem to be no nesting pairs, they still are "passing through". I believe you are right...that it was an ospry...narrower wings than an eagle and the striping on the back and underside of the wings. But it sure was white....no hint of dark until it bent it's head down and preened and when it flew. Thanks...I am blown away by the thought of an ospry in my back yard!!!! I used to see them as a kid at the Jersey shore, nesting on about every 5th telephone pole.....but not in years and years! Damn that DDT!!! Linda C

ok, i have waited this long because i couldn't narrow it down. my first love at a raptor dates back to kindergarten- the bald eagle. actually it is pretty "ironic": i can remember asking my mom for a quarter to "help save the bald eagles" i don't know if it was the teacher, or if it was the school, but i remember i needed to take it to class. so, here i was 30 years later, fighting development of plum island as a preserve for their winter and nesting sight. i am proof that educating children and raising their awareness works! now, on the other extreme, i just love the kestrel. this is strange for me because i am a "bigger the better" kind of person- irish wolfhound definitely preferred over a small dg, give me a horse- make it a "heavy horse" there is just something about the spirit of the bird being bigger than its size. i really think they have taht warrior spirit despite that apparant fragility i have heard of when kept captive. although i have never had experience with them. owl are just too tough to decide between. again, the raptors seem to win me over despite size- oh, that screech owl's song! a am partial to barn owls simply because ot the endangered/threatened status. i have never seen one! the great horned does win over the barred, but that doesn't make the barred any less "endearing." i do like the turkey vulture, too. so that about sums it up (love red tails in flight calls, they are always saying something) i ahven't gone in to many species. mostly i am trying to stick to the ones of my area. but, the harpy eagle, now there is a magnificent bird! anyone see jeff corwin with the harpy on his arm? it kept pecking his head. i say pecking because with that kind of strenght it was more like a love tap!

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. The massive legs are just mostly feathers. I can tell it's a Red-tailed because I can see the dark patagial markings (at the "shoulder" of the underwing) and the belly band (dark feathers that create a belt across the belly area). These in combination with a white chest are diagnostic for a typical Eastern Red-tailed Hawk. I can tell it's a juvenile because its iris is still yellowish (adults are dark). I cannot see its tail, but as a juvenile it likely was not red yet. Nice photo! This post was edited by TMFF on Fri, Nov 1, 13 at 11:12

Thank you, tmff! I thought Peregrine Falcon was a possibility, but don't have a lot of confidence in IDing things yet. Probably the only good thing about winter is that the lack of leaves provide better opportunities to spot a raptor when they're around. :-)