Friday Night Photos Raptor Edition

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 5:00pm

Happy Friday everyone. I hope everybody is doing well. Post any photos, memes' or music you like.

Every Saturday in January and February the Wildlife Research Institute presents Hawk Watch, a two hour educational talk and Q&A about raptors.

https://www.wildlife-research.org/hawkwatch

Red-tailed Hawk Dark Morph

Great Horned Owl

Swainson's Hawk Dark Morph

Barn Owl

Ferruginous Hawk Dark Morph

American Kestrel

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Submitted by QMS on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 7:08pm

them birds will rip your heart out Jim

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Many hawks around here lately. A couple of coopers sit on a branch eying the
little twitters around the feeders on the deck. So far, they are only picking off
the mourning doves and squirrels. No great loss there.

Got a couple unrelated shots today on the roam. High temp around 20, so cold.

so went indoors ..

the sun was kind ..
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thanks for the raptors!

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 7:36pm

Hi, QMS.

@QMS
I see the occasional Coopers Hawk. The Red-shouldered Hawks on the other hand are all over the place around where I live. They like to sit in the eucalyptus trees in my backyard and scout for lizards, gophers, squirrels or snakes.
You're a better man than me. 20° is way to cold for my liking. Thanks for the Doors. Jim Morrison died way too young.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:35pm

hola QMS. Nice quilt. Thanks for the pics.

@QMS

be well and have a good one

—

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 --

Submitted by snoopydawg on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 8:09pm

Love the Wilford Brimly mustache on the 2nd owl

Or is that a John Bolton one?

Great pics!

—

“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:13pm

Hi, snoopy

@snoopydawg
Lets go with Wilford Brimly. He was a good actor and I'm sure a much better person than that war mongering psychopath John Bolton.
Hope you and Sam are doing well. Give her a belly rub for me.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 8:27pm

Hi Social

Wonderful raptor photos. Your bird and animal portraits are always so revealing. I especially like the profile photo of the Barn Owl.

I'll be back soon with some snapshots of my recent travels.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:24pm

Thanks, Janis

@janis b
Looking forward to you photos.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 8:49pm

Hi All

Some snapshots of a recent visit to a very beautiful part of NZ.

Close to my destination, we flew by a very long, crescent-shaped sand spit shining below. I was on my way to the Golden Bay, after a year-long delayed visit to my closest friend and her husband who moved there a year and a half ago. As I flew by this sight I knew if possible I would like to see it close up. My wish was granted, and it was a uniquely special experience.

Cape Farewell

Farewell Spit

Some snapshots from other fascinating places in the Golden Bay …

Pupu Springs

Some more info on Pupu Springs.

Fossil Rocks

Limestone formations in a very old grove of Nikau Palms and Rata

Be well all and enjoy the weekend.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:40pm

Hi, Janis

@janis b
Great photos of the natural beauty of NZ. Thanks for the links and taking us with you on your special experience. One day I hope to visit NZ and experience all that beauty myself.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 10:53pm

My pleasure, Social

@Socialprogressive

I hope you do come someday. I think you would find it inspiring. I can contribute suggestions of places to visit.

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 10:05pm

Hi Janis

@janis b Hey J! Good to see you and yer images again!

GREAT photos! It looks wonderful there! Beautiful.

Thanks!

—

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

Submitted by janis b on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 10:58pm

Hi dystopian

@dystopian

I'm happy to be back in your, and the community's company, after a very satisfying adventure.

See you around ; ).

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:38pm

Hi Janis. Wonderful photos as usual. The dunes were

@janis b

pretty special. Thanks for the photos.

be well and have a good one

—

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 --

Submitted by janis b on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:28pm

Thank you el

@enhydra lutris

The dune experience, late in the day, was very special.

Submitted by Sima on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 7:33pm

Janis

@janis b
These pictures are great! But then, your photos almost always are great . I like the farewell spit and the pupu springs photos a LOT.

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by on the cusp on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:01pm

10 seconds of Northern Crested Caracara

First I have seen in my long life here in east Texas.

I thought it was beautiful and powerful.
We will keep our eyes peeled on that stretch of road. This was within 100 yards of where we spotted a white tailed hawk a few months ago.
Everyone, enjoy your weekend!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:50pm

Hi, OTC

@on the cusp
Glad you had the opportunity to see and record the Northern Crested Caracara. Thanks for sharing it with us. Hope you don't have to wait as long to see another one.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by on the cusp on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 11:44pm

hmmm, me, too

@Socialprogressive on waiting 71 years for the next sighting! Lol!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:40pm

Hi otc, cool to get film of that. I'm never ready

@on the cusp

for those events.

be well and have good one

—

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 --

Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:10pm

Speaking of the Raptors I just finished watching this basketball

game between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors.

It was a good game but not as good as your images.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 9:58pm

Hi, humphrey

@humphrey
I'm guessing the happy emoji is for the Warriors win against the Raptors tonight.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by humphrey on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 10:12pm

You are correct. NT

@Socialprogressive

Submitted by dystopian on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 10:00pm

Hi pixelators

HI all, Hey SP!

GREAT raptor photos SP! Those head portraits are wayyyyy easier when someone is holding them! As a kid we had a female Kestrel for a while, another time rehabbed a Rough-legged Hawk. Had some friends that were falconers so held quite a few. Always great to see them closeup.

Thread tune: originally released 1971

Northern Caracara (formerly Crested Caracara) - I just call them Caracara, but two is a pair-a-cara.

Tried to upload a few more hawks but getting grief from the uploader... Three attempts for naught.

Some of my raptor pics: https://www.utopianature.com/HAWKS.html

Hope all are 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

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 11:10pm

Hi, dystopian

@dystopian
There were a few Falconers at Hawk Watch. The brought along the Kestrel, a Harris's Hawk, and a Gyrfalcon-Prairie Falcon mix. Unfortunately I didn't get any good shots of them flying.
Very nice collection of birds, butterflies, bugs and other beasties on your web page.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by janis b on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 12:40am

So many raptors you've encountered

@dystopian

Thank you for sharing your enjoyment and observations of birds of all feathers.

The Caras look like a blend of giant pigeons and parrots to me. I'd love to see your collection of the most colourful birds ; ).

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:51pm

Wonderful video, thanks mucho. n/t

@janis b

—

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 --

Submitted by dystopian on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 4:13pm

three little birds

@janis b Great vid Janis!

Thanks you very much!

—

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

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:49pm

Hola Dysto. Thanks for the link to your page. Bookmarked

@dystopian

it and have it open in a tab to slowly browse the rest of it at my leisure. I noticed you don't have one of these --

Don't you get them there? He's a non-releasable rehab, one of the Altamont Windmills did a job on his other wing. I never went into his enclosure without my camera, and it took me years to get him posed like that.

be well and have a good one

—

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 --

Submitted by dystopian on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 3:50pm

Golden Eagle

@enhydra lutris Hi EL!

Neat shot! Whaddabird! Awesome to see one close like that!

We get Golden Eagle here very rarely, and I never got a half-ass shot hereabouts. I have decent shots from elsewhere but try to keep all the pics on that page locally taken in the area. I have slipped a few in from other places, and always call that out. Maybe 5 on the whole site now. It is a great site for insomnia. I have pages and pages of more stuff to put up, esp. insects, but flowers, fish, several more bird family groups, a Painted Bunting page, etc., etc. nearly done pages... just short of time to finish them so far... and site is a labor of love.

Thanks for the kind words!

que le vaya bien amigo!

—

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

Submitted by Sima on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 7:38pm

Love your webpage

@dystopian
and pics! Thank you for the link, I've bookmarked it to read, learn, admire at my leisure!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by orlbucfan on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:22am

Yeowsers!!!! Where do I start? Let's see....

Spectacular picture images, Sp. I'm with snoopy cos my fave is the Barn Owl, too. Robin Trower's LP cover art was A+ along with the music. Jim Morrison actually grew up SE of me in Melbourne (FL). I knew folks during my BA college days who knew him. The word was he was as weird as he was good looking. Makes sense. Tragic genius who drank himself to death. jb, your part of world is beautiful. Is that water in Pupu Springs as crystal clear/clean as it looks? Has the Bob Marley One Love been released in NZ? If you're a reggae freak like me, I highly recommend it. Great visual diary, you guys. Hope all is well. Out! Rec'd!!

—

Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 3:27pm

Hi, orlbucfan

@orlbucfan
I didn't know Morrison was born in FLA. I do know he was a strange dude.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by orlbucfan on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 7:42am

As I understand it, Sp, he wasn't a FL native.

@Socialprogressive Father was a admiral in the Navy who retired here. Morrison eventually wandered over to the St. Pete area, lived with family there. He then went to LA. The rest is music history. He was a strange one, tranced out somewhere. Got too hooked on the sauce, unfortunately.

—

Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Submitted by janis b on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:40pm

Hi obf

@orlbucfan

Yes ... " Despite producing 14,000 litres of water every second, the springs had a visibility level of 76% in 2018, making them the second clearest waters in New Zealand behind the Blue Lakes."

I'm looking forward, very much, to watching One Love next week in Auckland. I am definitely a reggae fan, especially hooked on Bob Marley and Winston Rodney (Burning Spear).

Thank you for your participation here, it's always a pleasure.

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 3:40pm

We have two very small dogs,

a maltese mix and a newly adopted shi tzu mix. The former is 11lb, the latter is 9lb. We were out walking them for their morning constitutionals, and turned the corner of the building coming back in. And sitting in front of our garage door was this very large Cooper’s hawk, finishing his breakfast of fresh squirrel, and the dogs came beak to nose with him. He just looked at us as if to say “Rats. I’m already full, but those look *tasty*!”

We each picked up a dog as fast as we could, backed carefully away, and left him to finish his breakfast in peace. But that was an intense moment. The cast iron pig with wings behind the hawk is 8” tall and a foot long- the smallest dog isn’t much bigger…

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:17pm

Hi, usefewersyllables

@usefewersyllables
Glad you and your dogs are okay. I'm surprised the hawk didn't fly away as soon as it saw you and the dogs. It must have been one really hungry hawk.

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:53pm

HI UFS. Lucky you had your camera with you. That's a really

@usefewersyllables

great shot.

be well and have a good one

—

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 --

Submitted by dystopian on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 4:06pm

Hawk ID

@usefewersyllables Hi UFS!

Great photo! Great to see ya here too!

The bird is an immature Red-tailed Hawk. Probably a recent fledgling, and a small male. It takes a couple years for them to get adult plumage (and tail feather color). The short tail indicates a Buteo. The Cooper's Hawk is a long-tailed accipiter type hawk. The big head and large thick legs and feet are also typical buteo and not accipiter.

Hawk ID, especially immatures, is tough. But actually each group and type differ in structure. Hawk watchers ID them at a mile as if magic, by size, shape, and structure only, no specific feather based field marks.

Thanks again for the pic and contribution!

—

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

Submitted by Sima on Sun, 03/03/2024 - 7:41pm

What a great shot!

@usefewersyllables
Very lucky you had your phone/camera with you. I seldom do, it seems. And very lucky you got the dogs out of any danger! Kudos!

—

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

Submitted by janis b on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:47pm

Nice ufs

@usefewersyllables

Your photo captures the surprise you all must have felt in the moment. The hawk looks both juvenile and formidable at the same time. Natural that you took your dogs on arm.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 7:31pm

Wow! Great pictures as usual, love raptors, did a

little rehab years back. Thanks for posting this.

be well and have a good one

—

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 --

Submitted by Socialprogressive on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 9:10pm

Thank you, EL

@enhydra lutris

—

I'm great at multi-tasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at the same time.