This guy is a regular in Panoche Valley but seeing him is hit or miss. One of the prettiest birds in California.
This is the area in the valley that I call "Merlin Alley" but it was devoid of little dark falcons on this day. It made up for it with the dark morph buteo.
This is where I found him. I was glad he stayed put after I stopped since almost every other bird had been skittish that day.
A glimpse of the rare Ferruginous Bear.
Eventually he spotted something in the distance and made his move.
A glorious sight that I hope we can continue to see for years to come, a Ferruginous Hawk over Panoche Valley.