Tennessee Birding III

Our hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park weren't really focused on birding per-say, however, that doesn't mean I didn't keep an eye out and occasionally snap a few photos of them every so often. In this post I'll show some that I managed to take while not on a exclusive birding walks.

#1
We saw this bird perched when nearly to the top of the Chimney Tops peak. It was looking out over the vast valley below (just like we were doing) and never turned around for me (or at least we didn't stick around long enough to see). I'm not sure, but I'm thinking it was a Dark-eyed Junko.

Dark-eyed Junko

#2
On another hike to Andrew's Bald just as we were arriving to the clearing, a hawk flew out in front of us as we approached. We only got a quick glace at it, but I quickly grabbed the camera and went to see if I could spot it again. I'm not sure if it was the one, but I did see several birds soaring in the distance. I thought at first that they were Turkey Vultures since they were soaring together, but I soon found that they were actually hawks of some kind. Later one flew more overhead and I managed to snap a few photos. It's possible that they were two different birds. I wasn't paying super close attention as the latter bird caught me by surprise as it flew over.

Here's some shots from the grouping of birds in the distance:

And then the one that flew overhead:

I'm thinking that they were Red-shouldered Hawks, but I'm not certain. Reasons:

1. Dark wing tips
2. Transparent patch near wing tips
3. Some reddish is visible

The one that flew over (latter two photos) may have been a juvenile since it appears to have a more spotted feathers on the body and not very much reddish coloring.

#3

I saw another hawk in the distance when at our cabin as well. Unfortunately, it was even further away, but it looks similar and was likely another Red-shouldered Hawk.