Seattle

The Seattle grey clouds just don't make for very good backgrounds.

Thank you both!

Absolutely! We have a few up here also.

We have both in eastern WA. But this is a juvi and I always question these. Thanks is advance.

I've been staking out this barn with a pair of great horns nesting in it for a week or so. Unfortunately the lighting is really bad when the sun is out. I've tried so many different places to get out of the glair from behind the car to holding up a blanket! So I found out who owns the barn and they are 100 miles away from here so I couldn't just ask them for permission to go near their barn. Then my husband noticed that there weren't any "no trespassing" signs around. So I ran up to the gate and went around to snap this quick picture and ran back to the car. No harm no foul I think. I know this isn't exactly within the birding codes but not exactly against them either. I'm sure others have tried various things to get just the right photo. I hope to get them both at some point.

So Nat Geo and I aren't on the same page. This is what I get when the sun is shining directly into my lens and the subject is inside a dark place. I gotta wait for a cloudy day to try it again. I don't think this pair is going to be going anyplace. This is highly photoshopped!

They went that a way

Yup - same bird. He (I guess based on size) hunts along the same road and sits along the same fence every day. Fortunately there are no telephone poles along this road so he has to sit on a fence post, sprinkler or gate. It makes it a little easier for me since he flies off even if I slow the car down. Red-tails a jumpy anyway but this guy is a little more than most.

It's been suggested that it's a western X Harlan's cross?

I thought I would show you want this guys tail looks like. I agree it's not a Harlan's but we just don't see this color red-tail up here. In eastern Washington we can easily see 50 of them in a day without trying very hard!! It does have a white spot on the back of it's neck.

Welcome to Whatbird!

This isn't the best picture but we just don't see goldens here very often. Thanks for the ID confirmation! Taken about 100 yards out without a tripod!