.I birded parts of the Comanche National Grasslands yesterday. As I drove slowly on a dirt road a few miles away from dispersed ranches I was surprised by this recently fledged hawk perched on the ground less than 25 feet from me. I watched quietly for a few minutes to see that it appeared uninjured and unconcerned about my presence. I didn't see anything nearby where it might have left a nest and there were no other hawks around. I drove on with no apparent impact on it and it was gone when I drove back past it about 20 minutes later. I expect this is a young Red-tailed Hawk unless someone sees field marks I am missing.
