Any bird watchers?
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Just got some photos of a hawk or falcon or something eating a pigeon. Anyone care to take a guess at what this thing is specifically? http://flickr.com/photos/shog9/tags/hawk/[^]
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Just got some photos of a hawk or falcon or something eating a pigeon. Anyone care to take a guess at what this thing is specifically? http://flickr.com/photos/shog9/tags/hawk/[^]
Shog9 wrote:
Just got some photos of a hawk or falcon or something eating a pigeon. Anyone care to take a guess at what this thing is specifically? http://flickr.com/photos/shog9/tags/hawk/\[^\]
I would personally disagree with the identification above, but I am no long time bird watcher. I watch raptors, and pretty much that is all. The hardest part of identifying raptors is the immature birds do not carry the full markings of the adult. Judging from the size of the hawk next to the pidgeon I would say it is an immature hawk, being immature it could be several, but I would guess the most likely is the red-tailed hawk simply because they are the most common in NM and Colorado region. As he grows older he will develop the distinctive red-tail of the adult, if he is an immature of the red-tailed hawk. That is my 2 cents worth, not sure if it is worth even that... now back to programming. ;) http://www.americanbirdguide.com/wordpress/?p=31[^] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk[^] http://flickr.com/photos/7532804@N02/2329807429/[^] http://flickr.com/photos/neatnessdotcom/2325504976/[^] http://flickr.com/photos/lisasam67/2325011920/[^]
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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You made me login and make my first post. I had to share my recent pics of a Falcon (I think) eating something yummy. http://picasaweb.google.com/DWByrd/Lunch[^] Awesome shots of an awesome creature.
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Shog9 wrote:
Just got some photos of a hawk or falcon or something eating a pigeon. Anyone care to take a guess at what this thing is specifically? http://flickr.com/photos/shog9/tags/hawk/\[^\]
I would personally disagree with the identification above, but I am no long time bird watcher. I watch raptors, and pretty much that is all. The hardest part of identifying raptors is the immature birds do not carry the full markings of the adult. Judging from the size of the hawk next to the pidgeon I would say it is an immature hawk, being immature it could be several, but I would guess the most likely is the red-tailed hawk simply because they are the most common in NM and Colorado region. As he grows older he will develop the distinctive red-tail of the adult, if he is an immature of the red-tailed hawk. That is my 2 cents worth, not sure if it is worth even that... now back to programming. ;) http://www.americanbirdguide.com/wordpress/?p=31[^] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk[^] http://flickr.com/photos/7532804@N02/2329807429/[^] http://flickr.com/photos/neatnessdotcom/2325504976/[^] http://flickr.com/photos/lisasam67/2325011920/[^]
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Looks like a rough-legged hawk to me. The coloring matches pretty well and its legs are feathered almost down to its feet - distinctive. The rough-legged hawk has a very large range - between their winter and summer and winter ranges, they cover most of the US and Canada, and many parts of Europe and Asia. They are migratory and go north for breeding and south to overwinter. This one would be in its wintering grounds (they leave for breeding grounds in April-May). They eat small mammals most of all, but also birds and sometimes fish or carrion.
I'm no expert... (standard ignorance disclaimer here) I looked at the description of the "Rough-legged hawk here[^]. The photo[^] had slighly different markings - R-L hawk seems to have a much blacker belly. I think it is a New Zealand falcon, on holiday, eating out and doing a bit of sightseeing. Basically, for the average NZ falcon flying at 230km/hour (144 mph - gross), 7000 miles will only take it two days. That leaves five days R&R if it takes the week off with a weekend at both ends. Not impossible considering the NZ Godwit flies non-stop 11000km twice a year to the arctic and back.
Troft not lest ye be sponned on the nurg! (Milligan)
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You made me login and make my first post. I had to share my recent pics of a Falcon (I think) eating something yummy. http://picasaweb.google.com/DWByrd/Lunch[^] Awesome shots of an awesome creature.
Now forgive me, but your user-name - "dwbyrd" - is there any coincidence there given the current topic? Or does the "dw" not actually stand for double-winged?
Troft not lest ye be sponned on the nurg! (Milligan)
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Hmm... thanks El. My wife's been watching this one for a while, he seems to consider the surrounding half-mile or so his territory. Will be interesting to see what happens then... :)
Shog9 wrote:
he seems to consider the surrounding half-mile or so his territory.
That is normal for a hawk, wintering or not.... If he stays year round and grows a bit with more flying rats as food, you may have an easier time identifying him. If he disappears at the season end then the mention a ways up may be correct. now if only we knew the air-speed of a laden swallow....
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Hello in Pueblo. Had a quick look on Google Earth. Just a couple of mountains in the neighbourhood :omg: ! Guess that's pretty good territory for a raptor (can't help thinking of the movie Jurassic Park whenever the word raptor comes up). Looks like great territory - pretty handy lake there to the north-west. Mind you we have a few mountains here in NZ, but hardly any predators - a total of one owl, one harrier and a hawk (the actual number of birds is slighly more than three :) ), one mildly poisonous spider, no snakes, no scorpions, no alligators, four Australians ;P .
Troft not lest ye be sponned on the nurg! (Milligan)
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Now forgive me, but your user-name - "dwbyrd" - is there any coincidence there given the current topic? Or does the "dw" not actually stand for double-winged?
Troft not lest ye be sponned on the nurg! (Milligan)
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Hmm... thanks El. My wife's been watching this one for a while, he seems to consider the surrounding half-mile or so his territory. Will be interesting to see what happens then... :)
We've had a pack of four Harris' Hawks (the wolves of the air) in the arroyo behind our house several times over the last few months. And we saw them near what we think is a nest when off-roading once a few miles away. Very impressive.
