I was outside the other day and saw my first kettle of hawks for the spring...it prompted me to get back to blogging about raptors. Swainson's Hawks will start showing up in Utah soon, and I thought I would share a little tip on one aspect of ageing them in flight. Of course there are other ways to age Swainson's Hawks, but this is just a note to share. Check out the contrast between the dark flight feathers and the pale body on the adult (left) versus the juvenile (right). Adults have a much higher contrast to the underside than juveniles and this is a good mark to look for on distant birds. Also note the dark tail tip and full "bib" of this adult.