That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I was playing ball with Kevin the wonder dog in the driveway just a few minutes ago. We're right at the end of the late afternoon hummingbird airshow that begins at about 4:30. It began with a 6-8 birds, hard to know for sure they're so fast, in a huge furball over the big feeder in the middle of the front yard. A face shield should be required equipment to be out that time of day. The feeding and bickering goes on for 20-30 minutes than they take a break before the final feeding of the day at about 6:00. Sundown is at 6:15 today.
Kevin was about ready for a drink and a treat when a big raptor of some sort flew down through the ecualyptus grove in the vacant lot next door and around the cornfields behind the house and back. He was gone quickly and I never got an unobstructed view. It was too big to be one of the falcon pair we see occasionally or the ever present kestrels. At first I thought it was the local owl out early but the wings were all wrong, too long, wrong shape, and it had a longish tail, not very broad. I'm guessing a hawk of some kind. He was fairly large but I really didn't get a good look. Identifying birds of the northern Andes is not easy due to a lack of good birder resources. My wife didn't see or she'd have a good guess by now.
We have identified 8 hummingbird species on our feeders. Train bearers are common and on occasion we see a rare, for Cuenca, metal tail. My favorites were three female purple throated wood stars who hung out for several weeks. I've not seen more than one at a time, just an hour ago, for some time but there was what I think is a juvenile male. Poor light, backlit, and being really shy made him hard to get a good look. The common ones don't have that problem. I've nearly been speared by a pair or three more than once and confronted with one in my face, a foot or two away, wanting to know WTF I'm doing near his feeder. Cantankerous little devils.
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11 users have voted.
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"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
top of my head long tail means accipiter or falco (which includes, iirc caracara). If you have google, "Ecuador accipiters" will get you the names and pretty good pics of the 5 accips you get there. I think youmight get some kites too, can't recall.
I was playing ball with Kevin the wonder dog in the driveway just a few minutes ago. We're right at the end of the late afternoon hummingbird airshow that begins at about 4:30. It began with a 6-8 birds, hard to know for sure they're so fast, in a huge furball over the big feeder in the middle of the front yard. A face shield should be required equipment to be out that time of day. The feeding and bickering goes on for 20-30 minutes than they take a break before the final feeding of the day at about 6:00. Sundown is at 6:15 today.
Kevin was about ready for a drink and a treat when a big raptor of some sort flew down through the ecualyptus grove in the vacant lot next door and around the cornfields behind the house and back. He was gone quickly and I never got an unobstructed view. It was too big to be one of the falcon pair we see occasionally or the ever present kestrels. At first I thought it was the local owl out early but the wings were all wrong, too long, wrong shape, and it had a longish tail, not very broad. I'm guessing a hawk of some kind. He was fairly large but I really didn't get a good look. Identifying birds of the northern Andes is not easy due to a lack of good birder resources. My wife didn't see or she'd have a good guess by now.
We have identified 8 hummingbird species on our feeders. Train bearers are common and on occasion we see a rare, for Cuenca, metal tail. My favorites were three female purple throated wood stars who hung out for several weeks. I've not seen more than one at a time, just an hour ago, for some time but there was what I think is a juvenile male. Poor light, backlit, and being really shy made him hard to get a good look. The common ones don't have that problem. I've nearly been speared by a pair or three more than once and confronted with one in my face, a foot or two away, wanting to know WTF I'm doing near his feeder. Cantankerous little devils.
up
5 users have voted.
—
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
@enhydra lutris
from the short search I did. I’ll look closer tomorrow. I wish I had a clear view for longer. The side of this mountain has lots that a raptor can use from cover to prey. I think there’s a chance I’ll see it again. Thanks for the clue.
top of my head long tail means accipiter or falco (which includes, iirc caracara). If you have google, "Ecuador accipiters" will get you the names and pretty good pics of the 5 accips you get there. I think youmight get some kites too, can't recall.
up
5 users have voted.
—
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
@vtcc73
Also check out Collared Forest-Falcon... behavior and description sounds good for them as well.
I was playing ball with Kevin the wonder dog in the driveway just a few minutes ago. We're right at the end of the late afternoon hummingbird airshow that begins at about 4:30. It began with a 6-8 birds, hard to know for sure they're so fast, in a huge furball over the big feeder in the middle of the front yard. A face shield should be required equipment to be out that time of day. The feeding and bickering goes on for 20-30 minutes than they take a break before the final feeding of the day at about 6:00. Sundown is at 6:15 today.
Kevin was about ready for a drink and a treat when a big raptor of some sort flew down through the ecualyptus grove in the vacant lot next door and around the cornfields behind the house and back. He was gone quickly and I never got an unobstructed view. It was too big to be one of the falcon pair we see occasionally or the ever present kestrels. At first I thought it was the local owl out early but the wings were all wrong, too long, wrong shape, and it had a longish tail, not very broad. I'm guessing a hawk of some kind. He was fairly large but I really didn't get a good look. Identifying birds of the northern Andes is not easy due to a lack of good birder resources. My wife didn't see or she'd have a good guess by now.
We have identified 8 hummingbird species on our feeders. Train bearers are common and on occasion we see a rare, for Cuenca, metal tail. My favorites were three female purple throated wood stars who hung out for several weeks. I've not seen more than one at a time, just an hour ago, for some time but there was what I think is a juvenile male. Poor light, backlit, and being really shy made him hard to get a good look. The common ones don't have that problem. I've nearly been speared by a pair or three more than once and confronted with one in my face, a foot or two away, wanting to know WTF I'm doing near his feeder. Cantankerous little devils.
up
3 users have voted.
—
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Thanks, el! Had no idea this was out there. Sent the link to my wife and our girls. Haven't heard back from the girls yet, but my wife is loving it! She adores falcons.
This was great EL! Thank you very much! There was a cam for a Peregrine nest on the UT tower or some adjacent building at Austin. Some Bald Eagle cams are going now too. I had a Peregrine a couple weeks ago which stooped on the White-winged Doves in the top of a big 45' Pecan tree in the front yard. Couldn't see if they all got away. They are rare here, usually I just see a high flying migrant go over. To see one making a move on birds perched in a tree in the yard was awesome. Whaddabird!
back to my mental peregrinations...
up
3 users have voted.
—
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Comments
omigod!
How damn cool and fun is THAT?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
My opinion too. ;-)
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good timing.
I was playing ball with Kevin the wonder dog in the driveway just a few minutes ago. We're right at the end of the late afternoon hummingbird airshow that begins at about 4:30. It began with a 6-8 birds, hard to know for sure they're so fast, in a huge furball over the big feeder in the middle of the front yard. A face shield should be required equipment to be out that time of day. The feeding and bickering goes on for 20-30 minutes than they take a break before the final feeding of the day at about 6:00. Sundown is at 6:15 today.
Kevin was about ready for a drink and a treat when a big raptor of some sort flew down through the ecualyptus grove in the vacant lot next door and around the cornfields behind the house and back. He was gone quickly and I never got an unobstructed view. It was too big to be one of the falcon pair we see occasionally or the ever present kestrels. At first I thought it was the local owl out early but the wings were all wrong, too long, wrong shape, and it had a longish tail, not very broad. I'm guessing a hawk of some kind. He was fairly large but I really didn't get a good look. Identifying birds of the northern Andes is not easy due to a lack of good birder resources. My wife didn't see or she'd have a good guess by now.
We have identified 8 hummingbird species on our feeders. Train bearers are common and on occasion we see a rare, for Cuenca, metal tail. My favorites were three female purple throated wood stars who hung out for several weeks. I've not seen more than one at a time, just an hour ago, for some time but there was what I think is a juvenile male. Poor light, backlit, and being really shy made him hard to get a good look. The common ones don't have that problem. I've nearly been speared by a pair or three more than once and confronted with one in my face, a foot or two away, wanting to know WTF I'm doing near his feeder. Cantankerous little devils.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
I actually have birds of Ecuador somewhere, but off the
top of my head long tail means accipiter or falco (which includes, iirc caracara). If you have google, "Ecuador accipiters" will get you the names and pretty good pics of the 5 accips you get there. I think youmight get some kites too, can't recall.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Both are possibilities
from the short search I did. I’ll look closer tomorrow. I wish I had a clear view for longer. The side of this mountain has lots that a raptor can use from cover to prey. I think there’s a chance I’ll see it again. Thanks for the clue.
"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."
sounds a great place you got there...
Also check out Collared Forest-Falcon... behavior and description sounds good for them as well.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein
Wonderful!
Thanks, el! Had no idea this was out there. Sent the link to my wife and our girls. Haven't heard back from the girls yet, but my wife is loving it! She adores falcons.
Thanks for this EL!
This was great EL! Thank you very much! There was a cam for a Peregrine nest on the UT tower or some adjacent building at Austin. Some Bald Eagle cams are going now too. I had a Peregrine a couple weeks ago which stooped on the White-winged Doves in the top of a big 45' Pecan tree in the front yard. Couldn't see if they all got away. They are rare here, usually I just see a high flying migrant go over. To see one making a move on birds perched in a tree in the yard was awesome. Whaddabird!
back to my mental peregrinations...
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein