why do the tails of our Osprey look different than the pictures in the field guides?

I woke up this morning at 6 am to the sound of a roaring rainstorm so I went back to sleep only to wake up an hour later with bright sunshine flooding in the room. Down at the pond, there was an Osprey sitting on the tall dead stub overlooking the water and having found this excellent perch he was clearly in no mood to give it up. Our resident Belted Kingfisher swooped in to claim her favorite outlook but it was already occupied by a much bigger bird and she had to take a lesser post. An Eastern Phoebe then moved in only to find both of its favorite perches taken and she had to settle for the dead cedar across the pond. Even as I approached the Osprey with my binoculars trained right on its majestic figure, he (she?) seemed determined to hold his (her?) ground. For a moment, one cold yellow eye caught mine. But then, seemingly uninterested in my approach, he looked down and all around; perhaps he was just checking out his getaway route. Eventually, he uttered the typical Osprey yip-yip-yip warning cry and took off.

We have both resident and migrating Ospreys here on the creek. The migrating Ospreys, like other soaring raptors, utilize updrafts in order to gain altitude; as they spiral up, the tail catches the sunlight and here's where I have noticed something odd. The tail on these soaring Osprey often show a distinctive reddish color; when they are high enough in the sky, it is easy to think you are watching a Red-tail Hawk. This color effect, which I have seen many times, is not shown in the field guides. Why? Is it a character of young birds? A local variation?

Osprey wasn't the only raptor in view this morning. A stocky, heavy-bodied falcon streaking across the creek and marsh, only a silhouette against the sun, was a Peregrine Falcon in full flight, always an exciting bird to see.

Speaking of Phoebes, I forgot to mention that there were several around yesterday, including one that was actually calling the phee-bee call. Also in the spot where the Winter Wren appeared, there were two or three Red-eyed Vireos and at least one Blue-headed Vireo. The vireos have been putting on a better fall migration show around here than the warblers.

Eric Salzman