What's the View Like From My New Place?

[Evo]

Well, the doves got here a bit late. My next door neighbor also has a birdfeeder. These doves are so fat they look more like feathered watermelons. Since it's ususally feast or famine for wild birds in the winter, will they continue to eat until they blow up? Or does some mechanism kick in and tell them they don't have to worry about the next meal and stop gorging at some point?

 

[Astronuc]

Well, the doves got here a bit late. My next door neighbor also has a birdfeeder. These doves are so fat they look more like feathered watermelons. Since it's ususally feast or famine for wild birds in the winter, will they continue to eat until they blow up? Or does some mechanism kick in and tell them they don't have to worry about the next meal and stop gorging at some point?

Probably they stop worrying about a next meal when a cat, fox or falcon or small hawk gets them because they are too slow because they are too fat.

How 'bout a picture of the patio showing what we have to work with in regards to your garden?

 

[turbo]

The doves seem to have some "carrying capacity" and when one or more of them gets there, they take off, and the rest of the flock goes with them. Flocking and rather explosive exits may have some survival value, though during the summer when the raptors were around, I'd find a pile of soft gray dove feathers on the front patio or lawn every couple of weeks. We've got broadwings and goshawks hanging out all summer, and those guys need lots of food to feed the babies.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Very nice Evo! I hope you are happy there.

Ah, the notagoshawk.

Ah yes, we used to pull that one in Scouts, but we called them snipes.

 

[Astronuc]

Ah yes, we used to pull that one in Scouts, but we called them snipes.

I remember that.

When I was in Boy Scouts, some senior scouts tried to pull that on us. Of course, knowing that snipes are wading birds precluded me for falling for that, since there were no snipes in the E. Texas woodlands where we were.

A Snipe is any of nearly 20 very similar wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterised by a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restriced to Asia and Europe and the Coenocorypha snipes are restriced to New Zealand. The three species of painted snipe are not closely related to these, and are placed in their own family, the Rostratulidae.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe

I read a lot of science books when I was very young, and I've always been interested in and fascinated by birds.

 

[binzing]

I'd say from your description that it may be a Red-tailed hawk just with a light front. The rust colored tail is what lead me to that. But only if you live in NA. If you live in Britain, the buzzard is very similar, and birds can have a fair amount of variance in range as well as appearance, and often don't look like what a book may show.

 

[Kurdt]

What a lovely view. The best thing about having trees is your view changes throughout the year with leaves and wildlife coming and going.

 

[Moonbear]

Probably they stop worrying about a next meal when a cat, fox or falcon or small hawk gets them because they are too slow because they are too fat.

They probably look fatter than they really are because they can fluff out their feathers to trap more warm air in them on cold days. The notagoshawk probably doesn't care either way.

 

[Evo]

They probably look fatter than they really are because they can fluff out their feathers to trap more warm air in them on cold days. The notagoshawk probably doesn't care either way.

Is that what it is? That makes sense, they're bodies are so disproportionate to the heads and you can't even see their legs. I was amazed they could walk. I felt a bit guilty about feeding them.

 

[Andre]

That head is more like it. Also, see how the dark and light colors are on the head and no streaks near the eyes? No, if you changed the dark color to charcoal grey, and the light part solid white, you'd have my bird. Oh and give it a beautiful burnt orange on the underside of it's tail.

Exciting. Sounds definitely as the rare East European long legged buzzard,

http://hellas.ncsr.gr/nature/birds/Buteo_rufinus.jpg

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/6051/565pxadlerbussardzz5.jpg

With the huge variability shown here it should no be a problem to compose such a color set

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I remember that.

When I was in Boy Scouts, some senior scouts tried to pull that on us. Of course, knowing that snipes are wading birds precluded me for falling for that, since there were no snipes in the E. Texas woodlands where we were.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe

I read a lot of science books when I was very young, and I've always been interested in and fascinated by birds.

Too funny; I never knew that there really are snipes! In the Scouts they were treated as mythical.

I was just kidding Evo about the name, but it seems that the old Snipe joke has gotten me twice now.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Snipe is a real bird, notagoshawk is notabird.

If it is an Accipiter (goshawk, sparrowhawk, sharp-shinned, Cooper's etc), the flight pattern is distinctive. They fly low to the ground, kind of hedge-hopping. Other hawks soar, catching currents up in the air, always flying above the trees, not flapping along dodging trees and shrubs.

Next time da boid (since you seem to be in a citified area, let's use a citified term)returns, note how da boid flies, and remember the shape of the tail feathers and when in flight. With those two bits-o-bird lore, we can get you pretty close to a species name for da boid.

 

[rewebster]

Is that what it is? That makes sense, they're bodies are so disproportionate to the heads and you can't even see their legs. I was amazed they could walk. I felt a bit guilty about feeding them.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Originally Posted by Evo
Is that what it is? That makes sense, they're bodies are so disproportionate to the heads and you can't even see their legs. I was amazed they could walk. I felt a bit guilty about feeding them.

You should see our Gambel's quail. I keep teasing my wife about the fact that you cannot see the feet for the fat bellies. It is just fluff to keep out the cold. But boy are they cute - very unlike Mt. Gigundo The Pig-eon in the picture above.

 

[Evo]

If it is an Accipiter (goshawk, sparrowhawk, sharp-shinned, Cooper's etc), the flight pattern is distinctive. They fly low to the ground, kind of hedge-hopping. Other hawks soar, catching currents up in the air, always flying above the trees, not flapping along dodging trees and shrubs.

Next time da boid (since you seem to be in a citified area, let's use a citified term)returns, note how da boid flies, and remember the shape of the tail feathers and when in flight. With those two bits-o-bird lore, we can get you pretty close to a species name for da boid.

Da Boid left it's perch in the tree and soared off. I can't recall if it flapped it's wings, maybe once. The tail was spread out and caught the suns rays which shone through and highlighted the beautiful burnt orange color. It was breathtaking. I see hawks every day, I see buzzards everday. I've never seen anything like this bird.

 

[Evo]

Ok, a squirrel picture for MIH and a patio picture for Astronuc

The squirrel turned around just as I went to take it's picture.

My patio from my bedroom window.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/9198/patiofrombedroomwindowlu8.jpg

 

[Astronuc]

Ok, a squirrel picture for MIH and a patio picture for Astronuc

The squirrel turned around just as I went to take it's picture.

My patio from my bedroom window.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/9198/patiofrombedroomwindowlu8.jpg

[/URL] Nice! Now would you be allowed to do small raised bed along the border of the patio? Or one of those large flower boxes? The only problem with flower boxes is the deterioration due to weather (freezing and thawing is not good).

 

[Evo]

Probably not since the grounds are kept. I'm going to have to do some creative tiered plantings.

 

[binzing]

Jim- You should see our quail. We've seen coveys (sp?) as large as 30 birds right outside our windows. They're really fun to watch.
Evo- I just looked in my falconry book and still can't figure out what the bird is. Are yo sure it had the splayed wings of a hawk and not the pointed one of a falcon. Also how large is it? And especially, estimate, its wingspan. One guess that just came to me is that it might be a young bald eagle.

 

[Evo]

It was over 2 feet tall and the face was not of an eagle. The bird, so far, has defied identification.

 

[Andre]

Red-tailed Hawk?
(Buteo jamaicensis)

 

[Evo]

Red-tailed Hawk?
(Buteo jamaicensis)

Great bird pictures Andre! We're thinking it's a red tail, mine had such different features and coloring though, but apparently the only feature they need in common is the tail.

 

[turbo]

It's probably a red-tail, Evo. They are impressive in size and their coloration varies quite widely. Here are a few examples - I'm sure that some individuals show even more variation.

http://www.birdphotography.com/species/rtha.html

 

[Astronuc]

From the site that Andre referenced, variations on the red-tailed hawk.

http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/hawk-harlans-lt.htm

http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/red-tailed-imm.htm

It could have been a young young adult.

Then there is the ferruginous hawk, which relatively common.

http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/hawk-ferruginous-adult.htm

http://www.backyardbirdcam.com/gallery/hawk-ferruginous.htm

And apparently red-tailed and ferrugious hawks may crossbreed, which probably contributes the variation and difficulty in identifying some hawks.

The tail was spread out and caught the suns rays which shone through and highlighted the beautiful burnt orange color.

Is the burnt orange color on the tail?

 

[Evo]

Yes, the tail (which I saw from underneath) was burnt orange. The front of the bird from the legs, stomach, breast, and a bar going straight up the front of the neck to the top of the beak/eyes (He had a white bar up the middle of his face, the width of his eyes) was pure white. The rest of the head, back, and wings were charcoal grey.

 

[chemisttree]

Did you see a bumper sticker on the tail that read "My Money and My Chicks Go To UT"?

 

[Evo]

Did you see a bumper sticker on the tail that read "My Money and My Chicks Go To UT"?

 

[rewebster]

did you buy one of those cords I found for your good camera?

 

[binzing]

Hmm, astro, I've never heard about crossbreeding between reds and ferruginous hawks. Also, ferruginous hawks are much more widespread in the Western US. I think its a redtail, either young, light subspecies, or in a winter phase of some sort.

 

[Astronuc]

binzing, here's some information I discovered while trying to find out more about red-tailed and ferruginous hawks.

Well, this is migration period and that bird is probably in OK by now on its way to Texas for the winter.

There is a higher probability that it is a buteo, and that could mean more likely a red-tailed or ferruginous hawk, but the grey on top is the complication. In the back of my mind, I've been trying to remember something about cross-breeding among species, which can complicated identity. Some buteos do cross breed, and I found site that does mention that -

Ferrugenous x Redtail Hawks - http://www.shortwingfalconry.co.uk/hawks/ferrutail.asp


Here is some more information and pictures -
http://sdakotabirds.com/species/ferruginous_hawk_info.htm
http://sdakotabirds.com/species/red_tailed_hawk_info.htm

For more species - http://sdakotabirds.com/species_main.htm

Some nice pics - http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/FEHA.html
http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/RTHA.html
Schomaker photographs birds using a Nikon D2X with 200-400 f/4 AF-S VR and 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR lenses with TC-14E and TC-17E teleconverters

Here are a few more posts on the hawk.

Also, the largest freaking hawk I've ever seen. I can't find a picture of it online, but from the head and beak I know it's a hawk. It's over 2 feet tall. The chest, down to the claws is pure white, with a white throat and the white goes up the middle front of the face in a bar that covers the eyes and goes above the beak. The rest of the bird is grey with an orange-rust tail, but I can't find a rusted tail hawk with the other features. Magnificent bird. It scared the living daylights out of the fruit bat. That's how I noticed it, he was a little upset.

Probably a red-tailed hawk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-tailed_Hawk

We have a pair of them in our neighborhood. They can get up to 24-26 inches. There are variations of this bird.

The top 3 reasons my bird is not a goshawk

1) his belly was snow white

2) no black band on the head

3) his eyes were yellow

Now I'm all for calling it Evo's Hawk or Evo's Red-tailed Hawk since we can't find any pictures that look exactly like it, and Evo is the first one to describe it. Now she just needs to document it - with a camera.

 

[binzing]

Yeah, I'm sticking with it being a red-tail mainly because of the tail color and overall size.

 

[rewebster]

Hey---Evo-----did you ever get moved totally out of your old place?

 

[Evo]

Hey---Evo-----did you ever get moved totally out of your old place?

Yes, but I'm still trying to figure out where to put things.

 

[turbo]

Yes, but I'm still trying to figure out where to put things.

Good luck! We've been here in this house for going on two years and there's still stuff that we haven't found since the move, and there's still stuff that doesn't seem to have found its proper place yet. It doesn't help that we moved from a very large house to a very small one!

 

[rewebster]

Yes, but I'm still trying to figure out where to put things.

good--GREAT----

as long as you got it--and it's all at the new place-----at not partially stuck in some storage unit

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Is that the trouble with 'things'?-----they got to go someplace, just finding the right place for some'things' is the trouble---