Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to CHIL EagleCAM. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Discussion of other Raptor species; their anatomy, biology, ecology, etc.
Topic Started: Sep 16 2007, 11:04 AM (18,107 Views)
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Patti
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Bill, I have not read about the "ranch," but hope it isn't here in Ventura County. :( The (Condor) Sespe Refuge (Fillmore), or whatever it's called, is not far from me. I've also lived in a minute town called Piru (Chumash name) 8 or less miles east of Fillmore. The mentality was not great there, landowners DEFINITELY included in this statement. Still, I loved the isolation out there...no frills for sure. Lake Piru.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Paula eaglet momster
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
These pictures of an eagle were taken in Vermillion, South Dakota. There is some question as to whether this is an immature bald eagle or golden eagle. Would love to know your opinion, Raptorman. Thanks!

Click for larger image.

Posted Image
Posted Image
Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Paula eaglet momster
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Thanks, Bill!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
I went into work today and saw one of the local raptors out in the back area - this time I did manage to get a picture! This bird was quite large - I'm assuming it was almost certainly a RT:

Posted Image


Posted Image

Unfortunately lighting conditions weren't ideal and I was taking the shots with maximum zoom from a distance, so I think the autofocus was having slight issues. I didn't have a chance to try manually fooling around with the focus and aperture before the bird flew off.

Here are the Flickr pages for the two photos - if you go to the "All Sizes" you can see the full resolution versions - these show the plumage much better:

Raptor1

Raptor2

I another wonderful sighting earlier of a RT sitting on a pole at about head height a mere 20 or 30 ft from the side of the road. However this was coming off an off-ramp on the highway and there was no safe place to pull off and consider getting a picture.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Raptorman,Jan 7 2008
03:34 PM
In my opinion, based on the available photos, the bird is a sub-adult Bald Eagle. Bill :D

Is there something specific that pointed toward juvenile bald for you Bill? The most commonly cited difference between juvenile bald, juvenile golden, and adult golden is the amount of feathering on the legs, and in this case you can't really see that because the bird is perched. The other thing I'm aware of is that the bald's head is supposed to project much further than the golden's when in flight, but we don't see that here either. Are there any other specific plumage characteristics that indicate bald?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Paula eaglet momster
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Bill - The American Eagle Foundation identified the bird I posted on here as a Red Tailed Hawk - your thoughts?

Here is their response to the owner of the picture:

Thank you for your request to the American Eagle Foundation (AEF)
concerning I.D. of an eagle-like bird, that you recently observed just below Fort Randall Dam in South-Central South Dakoda.

The bird appears to be a Red-tailed Hawk, though I.D. would be more conclusive if the tail and breast could be seen in the picture. However, the back is a mottled brown like a Red-tailed Hawk, compared to a more solid brown back for the Bald or Golden Eagle. The beak appears significantly smaller and turns downward at a shorter length than either eagle, as is characteristic of the Red-tailed Hawk..

For your further guidance, the following are descriptions of various large birds of prey that you may see in your area.

Red-Tailed Hawk - This is the most common large hawk in the area. Some
female Red-tailed Hawks can appear unusually large. Their average wing-span
is about 48 inches (4 feet), but some females can have a wing span that is
several inches wider. They have primarily a white breast, but the breast
can sometimes be tawny in color (light brown to brownish orange). They have
a loose streaked broad band across the mid portion of their breast. They do
not have a white head. The beak is dark. The beak turns downward at a shorter length than eagles.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Raptorman
Advanced Member
edit
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Patti
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
Paula-Bill: I was wondering about the eye color on Paula's Red-tail/Bald eagle? Would a sub-adult bald eagle still have the dark eyes that show in Paula's photo--or at least one of them I viewed?

A young Red-tail would have yellow eyes, right? But what defines young--does that mean juvenile and exclude sub-adult? Of is there a grey area between the two, which makes sense. All things are in a state of flux.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ostrich2
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
I also found it puzzling when the statement was made that the beak was suggestive of a RT as opposed to a bald. I had the exact opposite impression - being a novice at this I'd find it hard to describe or identify exactly what it is about the beak, but having seen lots of eagles and a few RTs the size and shape in the second picture especially gave me the strong intuitive impression "eagle". I think it's the width of the beak as compared to the entire head - the RTs I've seen seem to have a much "narrower" beak in proportion to the head.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · What are your questions? · Next Topic »
Add Reply