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Discussion of other Raptor species; their anatomy, biology, ecology, etc.
Topic Started: Sep 16 2007, 11:04 AM (18,131 Views)
Patti
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Nancy, I'll try to post a pix of the Eurasian Kestrel taken from one of the online guides I found last night. Forgot to add, how exciting..the kestrel find.

Ostrich--that's my problem/weak area, judging size! I was looking for feet, but can't see any on the Petra bird...and even some of the Old World big birds look delicate to me--beak and feet wise. If Bill agrees I will post those links, which will help us...some have pretty good photos--others are at quite a distance.

Eurasian Kestrels
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The bottom pix shows some nice upper right wing markings--though dark.
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One more for more wing markings...different regions, maybe?
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ostrich2
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Patti,Oct 27 2007
03:05 PM
Ostrich--that's my problem/weak area, judging size! I was looking for feet, but can't see any on the Petra bird...and even some of the Old World big birds look delicate to me--beak and feet wise. If Bill agrees I will post those links, which will help us...some have pretty good photos--others are at quite a distance.

There's not a lot to judge size against in the picture, but the bird seems to be perched at the top of a pine tree - if it's even a small pine tree though it would have to be a huge bird I think. I'd say it's at least the size of a bald, perhaps even larger.
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Patti
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Ostrich, there are a number of eagles and buzzards to explore, then! Don't think it is the Honey Buzzard, but I'd better check more closely.
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Raptorman
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Raptorman
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Patti
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Thanks, Bill! What's nice is that we're investigating birds and learning along the way...and I've learned a little more about Sparrowhawk habits and saw a neat little video somewhere along the line...eating something on the ground.

I'll get some links up. Here are some I've located.

Bird Forum -- (I searched sparrowhawks -- and posted that link so I wouldn't lose it.)
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/index.php?ti...it=250&offset=0

European Raptors
http://my.opera.com/Wulpen/albums/show.dml?id=124706

Mangoverde World Bird Guide
http://www.mangoverde.com/birdsound/index.html

Manx Bird Photography -- picked it up off one of these other sites.
http://www.manxbirdphotography.co.uk/

Raptors Namibia -- European birds migrate to Africa
http://www.nnf.org.na/RAPTORS/index.htm

Surfbirds.com -- You can go anywhere, but this basic page helped me.
http://www.surfbirds.com/ukbirdidlist.html
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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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Well I was able to get out for a little while today to the local High Park (where there is also a hill named "Hawk Hill" :D ) and I had found out there was raptor migration observing going on. Unfortunately I got a late start and forgot my camera, although any shots would have been of very distant and soaring birds for the most part. I might try next week to see if I can get any shots, although I suspect it will be challenging.

I was there for a couple of hours and there were lots of red-tailed hawks (they would typically be spotted way off in the distance past the tree line and would gradually make their way overhead). There was quite a brisk wind and the hawks seemed to like to either kite by flapping into the wind or occasionally ring up in large groups. There were some groups of up to 10 or more hawks ringing up a couple of times.

The red-tails were by far the most common although there were a couple of red-shouldered hawks sighted (I certainly would need a lot of practice to distinguish them from the red-tails) and a couple of sharp-shinned hawks. There was one kestrel someone spotted (I'm not sure what kind). There was a large group of turkey vultures that went through - those were very distinctive and easy to recognize. No eagles while I was there, although I'll try to stay later next week and see if I can spot any.
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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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Raptorman,Oct 28 2007
02:45 PM
Well you got your feet wet. It can be addictive, although the "season" is quite short.

A group of hawks soaring is referred to as a "kettle" (don't ask me why???).

According to some of the observers who were there the migration usually continues through the end of November or even into early December.

I'll have to see if I can study a good field guide before my next visit too - someone had a Peterson's field guide to hawks (although it had some info on eagles and vultures as well) and it seemed to have pretty good illustrations.

As an aside I looked in the guide to see what the Cooper's hawk looked like because we had speculated the bird I spotted the other day might have been a Coopers. The drawings that guide had didn't seem to have the dark area at the edges of the wings for the Coopers that I recall seeing though.
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Raptorman
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Patti
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Bill, I worked a LONG time yesterday on the bird I.D., longer than I'd like to admit and the only pix I've seen that resembles the bird is on, I think, the wrong type of pine tree to be in the country this bird is basically located. I'll email you my answer, but am fairly certain it is W-R-O-N-G! :rolleyes:

I don't care about a prize so much as figuring out what the bird is on my own...but it's not looking great at this point. Sigh....

Bill, I'm going to Amazon.com search for Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World and wonder what you think of this one?

I saw a BEAUTY of an eagle, I believe it was, with an intricate reptilian pattern on the wing and maybe torso underside--think it was off a site called JustBirds (photography) and think the eagle was sighted in Greece or Africa. Boy, how soon we forget~

Also of interest was an Old World vulture called Lammergeier. Does similar things as the crow to break open food sources. On the comeback from extinction.

EDIT: Oh, boy---found that book used, Bill, on Amazon.com and think they may mean BOTH volumes, but it's expensive! I'll check out other possibilites...and it's hardcover only. I suspect it's out of print...no new available, only used.
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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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I found it was certainly not easy at all to distinguish the red-tails from the red-shouldered hawks - it was mentioned that the RS tend to have a shorter and more rapid flapping pattern, and are smaller than the RT. The other thing was differences in plumage, but even a few minutes after you've looked at the guide it's hard to remember. I think you have to practice it until you can visualize the important differences on your own. But when you're seeing them from a far distance or ringing way up, even with binoculars it's sure not easy. With the RTs I also found that discerning any of the distinctive red plumage on the tail in practice was difficult. Since I gather the red tail is visible more on the upper part of the tail than below, perhaps that combined with the distance is part of it. I think it's also possible many of the birds are juveniles and still have dull plumage.

I've found the same thing when I've seen possible RTs by the sides of the highway - even when they're in flight the red tail isn't easy to see.
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Raptorman
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