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Discussion of other Raptor species; their anatomy, biology, ecology, etc.
Topic Started: Sep 16 2007, 11:04 AM (18,106 Views)
Raptorman
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Patti
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Thanks, Bill. I sure appreciate that answer.

(Your Classroom thread is really looking great, too!)

I have a new obsession. Our friend up the hill...with LOTS of raptors up there...did something really dumb that I hope is of no serious consequence. He had left out some type of green toxic solution that a lizard fell into and died. Being an artist, he noticed when he pulled the lizard out that it was bright green. And...he left it out because it was a neat color. :( When he came back from LA at the end of the week the lizard was gone. I know turkey vultures eat dead things, but do you think the RT's, or Sharp-shinned, or Red-shouldered hawks would? They're all up here too, plus owls and turkey vultures (but haven't seen any lately).

My husband told me that ants probably ate the lizard, but he lies all the time to make me feel better. Plus he doesn't know about raptors anyway. Since I can't get it off my mind, I may as well ask you.
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Raptorman
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Raptorman
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Raptorman
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Patti
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Bill: About the poisoned dead lizard, thanks....this neighbor's cat is an indoor pet...coyotes play with a large pet dog next to this neighbor. I'm hoping coyotes were in Peter's yard while they were gone...easy access, and moved the lizard out of sight. Coyotes will take pet dog toys up the hill, out of the other neighbor's yard. I've been busy and not seen our beautiful resident RT pair recently---and now the poisoned lizard is eating at me. I told Peter (neighbor) it could be bad news, but he just gave me a blank, not hostile, look. He/wife love to watch the local birds too. They're super people...friends, but it is frustrating.

Regarding Paula's I.D. bird....all I can say is I think the beak appears on the longer, rather than RT side and I noticed the dark eyes. I can't even see the tail! I tried, but it's lost with the shadows or I need new glasses. All I can say is that it is a raptor. :wacko:
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Raptorman
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Raptorman
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Patti
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Bill--not that you've been losing sleep over it, but my husband saw the RT pair just above our house a few hours ago. Guess they passed on the green lizard.

Thursday I heard a RT sounding agitated close to the house and couldn't see it. Not too long afterward, I saw what appeared to be a Turkey vulture--the dark inner wings/torso, but the extended white outer area....then soon saw ANOTHER hawk and it totally threw me. I can only remember what appeared to be a slender tail, seemed a little long....don't recall any rufous on the torso, nothing at all stood out other than obviously dark or black primaries.

Bea -- how is Sharpie?
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ostrich2
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I saw two more HUGE RTs yesterday - if I didn't know better I might have thought they were eagles :D It's interesting that they seem to be very at home even away from the highways and open areas - both times they were around residential areas with lots of buildings and houses.
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ostrich2
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Raptorman,Jan 10 2008
11:15 PM
There has been some discussion about "the visitor" of Jan. 9/08 and Dr. Sharpe has given some logical reasons as to why the bird couldn't be A45 (presently no backpack). Dr. Sharpe's response is the bird is A43 (2005 hatch).

One thing I think is quite interesting is the behaviour of K10 and K26 subsequent to the visit. We did not see any direct interactions between K10 or K26 and A43, although it's not impossible there was interaction off-camera. Dr. Sharpe has indicated on previous similar occasions that at this time of the year without any eggs or eaglets, the parents probably would choose not to bother with a dangerous physical confrontation with an intruder assuming it eventually vacated the area.

What was interesting was the pattern of behaviour the next day, specifically:

- the next day subsequent to the day that A43 left the nest area, we saw by far the most significant nest presence by both adults that we have seen thus far since they stopped visiting the nest regularly subsequent to A63's fledging. They certainly spent much more time on the nest than usual, having a constant presence on the nest for a substantial fraction of the day. Typically over the last few weeks visits have usually been either in the morning or later in the afternoon, and for a relatively short period (roughly 30-45min at a time). In addition, at least subjectively their nest building activities were also more "intense", with a significant number of stick deliveries and arranging behaviours by both adults.

The day after this, there were no visits by the adults, so this spurt of behaviour seemed to immediately fall back to "normal". It's certainly hard not to speculate that this activity might have been prompted by the A43 visit - perhaps some type of response on the part of K10 and K26 to "reassert" their claim on the nest and territory? Of course, it could also be coincidental.

It would be interesting to track down some of the observations of A32's visit to the nest last year and compare if any similar pattern of behaviours was seen from the adults on that occasion - if I recall correctly. A32 visited around this same time of year. I will look to see if I can find this, unless someone else remembers.
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Raptorman
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Patti
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Bill: I realize I'm projecting here because my Umbrella cockatoos are tropical birds and are stimulated toward nesting activity when it rains. In fact, I cannot touch Alger too much when we're having rains because she lays infertile eggs for me, her "mate." Rain gets them going--again they're tropical exotics. Whatever, but HOWEVER; I watch the balds after a rain and they seem to often visit the nest with sticks. I'll often make a point to turn on my video just in case.

I think the visitor/A-43 came shortly after a rain..maybe the evening of the day of or after a rain, not certain? Then we saw the manic funny behavior of K-10 & 26 the following day. We also had FOG on the PH nest the morning the web cam opened to A-43 on that nest. I suppose eagles still see keenly in spite of fog, but A-43 didn't vocalize that I can recall, nor do I recall hearing other eagles in the distance. I got up very early to catch the action...and think Ostrich did as well. I was actually listening to the cam quite some time before the cam opened to dawn...it does get light before we see light on the cam. K-26 does seem in the hormonal bossy mood for sure. :rolleyes: So, I was wondering if it was a big combo: hormones, weather, and the visitor. I lean more toward hormones and weather/season, but don't know.

Mom & dad cockatoos are mating as I type...but no eggs in a long time! And I don't want any. Enough to go around who need homes.

Edit: Ostrich...I agree with you about the size of some RT's! :o We have a large dark one in the neighborhood and it/she? looks huge in the distance. The mate is so much smaller, but it has a red tail....and they hang out together. I assuming they're a pair.
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Raptorman
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