What's the View Like From My New Place?

[Evo]

That hawk was cool. I think I saw it while driving to work the other day about 2 miles from here, but it was too far away to tell.

 

[Andre]

Did you notice the Asian honey buzzard on the former page?

 

[Evo]

Did you notice the Asian honey buzzard on the former page?

Yes, it's beautiful. Very similar to what I saw, but my bird's head was a bit rounder and flatter. I'm trying to find the sketch I made of it.

 

[Andre]

Yes, it's beautiful. Very similar to what I saw, but my bird's head was a bit rounder and flatter. I'm trying to find the sketch I made of it.

That could be because it's a juvenile specimen on the picture. here is a common European buzzard fully grown

But the colors are highly variable:

http://www.dungevalley.co.uk/Birds/buzzard.jpg

 

[Evo]

That could be because it's a juvenile specimen on the picture. here is a common European buzzard fully grown

But the colors are highly variable:

http://www.dungevalley.co.uk/Birds/buzzard.jpg

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.

Wow, the starlings are already here, they're an hour early. Usually the starlings and doves show up to eat at 4pm, like clockwork.

 

[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.