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Discussion of other Raptor species; their anatomy, biology, ecology, etc.
Topic Started: Sep 16 2007, 11:04 AM (18,129 Views)
ostrich2
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Raptorman,Oct 31 2007
09:49 PM
That is where Goldens tend to hangout. They are not the urban species that some Balds have adapted to. They tend to be a higher elevation species but obviously the former Channel Islands Goldens were an exception to that norm. They are somewhat adaptable to a few prey that are available in specialized habitats but normally their prey are medium sized rodents, small members of the canine family, some game birds, the occasional smaller ungulate and some scavenging. Most of these prey items are not common to the urban or city settings.


Yes I definitely saw the goldens I saw out in remote badland areas - I wasn't sure whether they would be likely to be seen in less isolated areas where you would be hunting for example.
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Naturegal
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ostrich2,Oct 30 2007
09:26 PM


Do you know if those balds on Toronto Island were ever seen at all during the summer? I wondered if they might try to nest there.

Ostrich2/Ian - Never heard or read anything about the bald eagles being seen again. I too was hoping that they would find a nice nesting sight and reproduce.
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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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Raptorman,Nov 1 2007
09:19 AM
Some of the areas are quite remote. Down on the Milk River, as an example. And on the southern part of the Bow. Except for Edmonton,Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge if you drive more than 15 minutes outside of any other city/town you are going to be pretty remote. I hunt at great number of coulées and river bottoms. I am also constantly in areas with Deer and Pronghorn. I was taken to a new (last spring) Burrowing Owl nest site yesterday by a cattle ranch owner. Bill :D

If you see anything really exciting like goldens try and get some pictures :D
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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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I've put in my guess - I suspect it isn't correct, but I did find one species which was pretty close.
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Patti
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:lol: Well, I guess I got my WRONG Petra-BIRD I.D. answer in to Bill, via a PM! Bill, looking forward to checking tomorrow a.m. for the answer.

Will you post another bird to I.D.?
I think it's a good learning process and fun. Not fun to be wrong, but fun to explore. One bird to I.D. is about my speed. :wacko:

Looking forward to any photos you are able to catch on your trips.
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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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Raptorman,Nov 3 2007
09:30 AM


Raptorman,Oct 27 2007
11:22 AM

Don't assume it is from Petra's part of the world. She didn't claim to take the photo but simply posted it. (I'm not saying it isn't from Europe either but don't assume too much.) ...





The bird is a very good (classic) example of it's species.
The bird is unquestionably an adult Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus.

I am going to attempt to constructed a few posts on raptor i.d. showing some comparisons of body shapes, body part comparisons, feather shapes, and color patterns. This will take sometime so please be patient. In the meantime if someone has a clear picture that they need help identifying please post it and we will do our best to figure it out. Bill :D

Now that the hawk is out of the bag :D I will explain as much as I can remember about my thought process as I was trying to find a match. The best I was able to manage was to find a bird which seemed to fit in several respects, but I knew probably wasn't right since it had a distinctive feature which Petra's bird didn't.

My guess was Wahlberg's Eagle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahlberg's_Eagle)

Posted Image

Now in my defense I think I can rightly claim I was thrown off a bit assuming this was not a NA species, as Bill had posted earlier that it wasn't from NA. :D Or did you mean to say that was a NA species Bill? Or is the lesson that we shouldn't trust what anyone says before we investigate ourselves? :D

Raptorman
 

I will stay out of this for a few days but will offer this tip: It certainly is not a North American species and we can assume it isn't a hybrid.


So I tended to discount any typical species I was familiar with and started looking for something from Europe or Asia. My thought process started with size - I think I too misjudged the size (I'm not great at it either), but it seemed to be a large bird. I wasn't sure how big, but I thought eagle sized, possibly bald sized, although possibly smaller as well.

So I spent most of my time researching eagle species, although I was looking to see if there was an eagle that would be an option, as this bird certainly had characteristics that are very different from a bald, for example.

- the tail was quite long, and seemed to be fairly square shaped, not shorter and fan shaped like familiar eagles like the golden or bald

- the wings were also a different shape from familiar eagles, although I can't put my finger on exactly what it is.

Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of a Wahlberg's that showed the underside of the wings and tail, but the descriptions mentioned a barred grey undersides to the flight feathers and the tail. It also mentioned a long narrow square ended tail which also seemed to fit. The big problem with the Wahlberg's was that they are supposed to have a crest on the head, which this bird didn't.

It's also tough I find researching online because unless you have an actual field guide in front of you the pictures on most sites aren't intended to give you a full picture of the variety of plumages you may see in the same species. Here's a picture of a red-shouldered for example that looks absolutely nothing like Petra's bird:


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Raptorman
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ostrich2
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I checked the local public library and the only field guide for raptors that they had was Peterson's Field Guide To Hawks (although it is an older edition), so I will see if that helps at High Park tomorrow:

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Patti
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I don't mean to poke fun at myself and you, Ostrich....but I can confirm that I have Red-shouldered's over my head and have watched one on a pole....but I've never seen one in that position---and NEVER would have guessed this hawk...one of the few I happen to see quite often. DUH!!!!! Even if I had quickly seen this position, I would have still gotten the wrong answer. :rolleyes: "My" R-S here has more contrast with the wings closed...it was a dark dark, almost black and white pattern on the closed wings.

Anyway, it was fun and hope we have more birds to I.D. -- hint hint...

Have a great time with your Peterson Field Guide tomorrow at High Park, Ostrich.

Thank you for the wonderful hunting photos, Bill. Beautiful and peaceful..how I like it.

By the way, I think Bea and Ralph have to see the Red-shouldered if I do--since I see it more their way than mine. But not in Petra's Position~~~
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Naturegal
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I thought this was a beautiful photo of our mystery bird....................

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Naturegal
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Ostrich/Ian - Have a great time at High Park, hope you see lots of birds and take photos to post here.

Raptorman/Bill
- Thank you for posting your beautiful photos, my favourite time of day too.
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Raptorman
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