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08-03-2020, 09:38 PM
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#141
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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We’d noticed a Swallow-tailed Kite in the countryside. This is a large spectacular kite (a type of hawk) with a forked tail. One recent morning doing a walk around DF’s farm we noticed it was hunting over the peanut field next to us. We watched it for a long time. It would swoop low, pick off a large insect, then eat it on the wing without even slowing down. Just kept tacking back and forth. Came close several times. Finally flew towards the woods and circled above us a while, probably looking for a perch.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/...tailed_Kite/id
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Retired since summer 1999.
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08-03-2020, 09:43 PM
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#142
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cbo111
We've had a bunch of Wood Storks (aka Ironheads) hanging out here in Fl for the past couple weeks. I think they are meeting up to find mates. There was three different groups in the same area totaling about 75 birds. I found this unusual because we normally see them solitary or occasionally in pairs.
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I think they are getting ready to migrate. We see them migrating in groups. That’s how we see them in South Texas. I suspect breeding season is over.
Well, apparently it depends where in FL. From FWS.gov
Quote:
Nesting periods vary geographically. In South Florida, wood storks lay eggs as early as October and fledge in February or March. However, in north and central Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, storks lay eggs from March to late May, with fledging occurring in July and August.
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Retired since summer 1999.
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08-04-2020, 10:11 AM
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#143
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,962
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MissMolly
So cool! I've never seen cranes. Wish I would.
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We've got lots of them around here. They put up quite a racket.
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Tick tick tick tock goes the clock on the wall as we're dancing the evening away -- Tick Tock Polka
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08-04-2020, 09:56 PM
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#144
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
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Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1
We’d noticed a Swallow-tailed Kite in the countryside. This is a large spectacular kite (a type of hawk) with a forked tail. One recent morning doing a walk around DF’s farm we noticed it was hunting over the peanut field next to us. We watched it for a long time. It would swoop low, pick off a large insect, then eat it on the wing without even slowing down. Just kept tacking back and forth. Came close several times. Finally flew towards the woods and circled above us a while, probably looking for a perch.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/...tailed_Kite/id
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We see them fairly regularly at our FL home. They are amazing. I've seen them swoop down just a dozen or so feet away and take an anole right off the fence. That's Blue Angel quality precision flying, there.
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"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
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08-05-2020, 02:50 AM
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#145
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harley
We see them fairly regularly at our FL home. They are amazing. I've seen them swoop down just a dozen or so feet away and take an anole right off the fence. That's Blue Angel quality precision flying, there.
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Cool!
It’s a real treat for us. We see them rarely in South Texas, and only during hawk migration. Still with their distinctive silhouette we would occasionally notice one high overhead in a migrating kettle, and one morning we found one perched in a dead tree in the nearby state park.
We saw a lot more of them if we were along the east coast of Texas during migration.
According to the range maps their summer (breeding) range is the eastern gulf coast, most of Florida, and the GA and SC coastal edges. We’re a bit north of its range. Not unusual we’ve seen several species a bit north of their range this summer.
I think this one has been around here for a couple of months at least. I first spied it flying low overhead a couple of months ago maybe 10 miles south of here. Then a couple of weeks ago noticed it working the peanut fields a couple of miles south. Found it there a couple of times so DH was able to get a glimpse too. So it was a thrill to have it turn up at our place.
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Retired since summer 1999.
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08-05-2020, 05:01 AM
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#146
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Posts: 5,290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by audreyh1
We’d noticed a Swallow-tailed Kite in the countryside. This is a large spectacular kite (a type of hawk) with a forked tail. One recent morning doing a walk around DF’s farm we noticed it was hunting over the peanut field next to us. We watched it for a long time. It would swoop low, pick off a large insect, then eat it on the wing without even slowing down. Just kept tacking back and forth. Came close several times. Finally flew towards the woods and circled above us a while, probably looking for a perch.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/...tailed_Kite/id
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We have seen swallow tailed kites a few times--spectacular birds!
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08-05-2020, 09:47 AM
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#147
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Denver
Posts: 160
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Can any tell me what kind of bird this is? Sat for an hour calling in the top our our tree. Was wondering if maybe it lost its young one?
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08-05-2020, 09:52 AM
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#148
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky mtn high
Can any tell me what kind of bird this is? Sat for an hour calling in the top our our tree. Was wondering if maybe it lost its young one?
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Peregrine falcon?
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"Exit, pursued by a bear."
The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
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08-05-2020, 10:20 AM
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#149
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Back woods of Fennario
Posts: 1,170
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I'm an eastern birder, but that looks like a Red-Shouldered Hawk to me.
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"Time wounds all heels...." - Groucho Marx
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08-05-2020, 10:25 AM
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#150
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LRDave
I'm an eastern birder, but that looks like a Red-Shouldered Hawk to me.
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Mine was a SWAG, so it's likely way off. (At least I didn't say Mallard.. )
__________________
"Exit, pursued by a bear."
The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
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08-05-2020, 10:33 AM
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#151
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky mtn high
Can any tell me what kind of bird this is? Sat for an hour calling in the top our our tree. Was wondering if maybe it lost its young one?
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I'm pretty certain that is a red-tailed hawk. Large bird and dark belly band.
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~Michele
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08-05-2020, 10:38 AM
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#152
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 69
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I saw a reddish egret in Jekyll Island, GA the other day and finally saw its fishing dance.
It was fun to watch and pretty spastic!
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~Michele
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08-05-2020, 10:59 AM
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#153
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Denver
Posts: 160
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Thanks for the reply’s. I was thinking falcon too but maybe hawk. I know the picture is not great. Made so much noise for so long that people were coming out their houses to see what was going on.
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08-05-2020, 12:12 PM
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#154
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky mtn high
Can any tell me what kind of bird this is? Sat for an hour calling in the top our our tree. Was wondering if maybe it lost its young one?
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Might be a red-tailed hawk. Looks to maybe have a belly band.
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Retired since summer 1999.
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08-05-2020, 12:13 PM
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#155
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reach
I saw a reddish egret in Jekyll Island, GA the other day and finally saw its fishing dance.
It was fun to watch and pretty spastic!
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That is a great thing to see in person!
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Retired since summer 1999.
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08-05-2020, 03:26 PM
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#156
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,590
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cbo111
We've had a bunch of Wood Storks .. hanging out here in FL for the past couple weeks.
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A wood stork will occasionally stand outside my house and watch me through the living room window while I'm exercising. The bird may be thinking, "Why is this strange animal expending so much energy with little hope of obtaining food, shelter, or sex?" A reasonable question.
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03-18-2023, 08:13 PM
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#157
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: West of the Mississippi
Posts: 17,134
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Birding
Bird migration predictions can be found here
https://birdcast.info
“Bird migration forecast maps
Bird migration forecast maps show predicted nocturnal migration 3 hours after local sunset and are updated every 6 hours. Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produce these forecasts.”
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Comparison is the thief of joy
The worst decisions are usually made in times of anger and impatience.
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03-18-2023, 08:40 PM
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#158
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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Bird spring migration is pretty predictable here. Hawks have started migrating now and will migrate in numbers through the end of April. Smaller songbirds flying across the Gulf will can be seen on the coast mostly from mid-April to mid-May.
They do show up during the day and then fly farther inland at night if weather is favorable.
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Retired since summer 1999.
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03-19-2023, 07:39 PM
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#159
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 2,962
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We're on the upper Rock River, which has its source about 20 miles away in the Horicon Marsh, the largest freshwater cattail march in the US. We've been seeing a lot of migrating and nesting waterfowl since the end of February. The giant sandhill cranes arrived about the same time. Turkey vultures have been feasting on roadkill whitetail deer.
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Tick tick tick tock goes the clock on the wall as we're dancing the evening away -- Tick Tock Polka
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03-19-2023, 07:43 PM
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#160
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
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We see sandhill cranes a bit north of here in the winter. And we’ve seen plenty wintering in New Mexico. So I guess they don’t have to travel as far as some birds do.
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