community.kjrh.com

Catbird:

Bobdmac: From that link, I love "kettle of hawks" (riding thermals)....Have to think on the people one. Almost sorry I brought it up. Maybe a pickle of people?

I saw a discussion recently of some hawk observations, and they mentioned a hawk "at the bottom of the kettle" that was circling overhead.

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"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one" –– A. J. Liebling

I'm sorry folks, but I hope you'll indulge me once more for going off-raptor here. This is this most amazing bird call footage I've ever seen or heard. I don't want to give it away. I'll just promise that if you haven't seen this before, you'll be amazed, and in the end, unfortunately, saddened as well.

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"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one" –– A. J. Liebling

In the category of giving credit, where due: PMI-Donegal has posted a sequence of an eagle trying to take down a swan in flight. She credited "R of Illinois" for finding it (me). Error. Catgirl from Tulsa had e-mailed it to me, and I had sent it on to Donegal after researching to find the real photographer. Turns out someone had been sending it around in an e-mail falsely claiming that they had captured the images. So. Kelly Munday gets photo credit and Catgirl gets sending-it-to-Donegal credit. And the swan escaped. Happy Friday to all, and to all, a good night.

Bville:

socal:

"rhinoceros
mammal
plural rhinoceroses , rhinoceros , or rhinoceri"

......(read to the tune of "Funiculì, Funiculà")

Okay, Gang....Let's sing along with Socal:
(music link below)


Rhinoceri, rhinocerá, rhinoceri, rhinoceraaaaá!
Music sounds afar, rhinoceri, rhinocerá!

http://www.geocities.com/aequum/funiculi.html

Hahahaha!!!! VERY CUTE, Bville! You got me giggling yet again, my friend!

bobdmac:

I'm sorry folks, but I hope you'll indulge me once more for going off-raptor here. This is this most amazing bird call footage I've ever seen or heard. I don't want to give it away. I'll just promise that if you haven't seen this before, you'll be amazed, and in the end, unfortunately, saddened as well.

bobdmac: Thanks for sharing that video...What an amazing bird! At first, I felt a thrill at the beauty, grace and fantastic vocal / mimicking skill of that creature... but then listening to the chilling words -- the truth -- from David Attenborough, I thought of this bird's buzz-saw refrain as not just extraordinarily exact and odd... but excruciatingly bittersweet.

Something to start the week:  Here is an albino eagle photo, with the accompanying text (website below):
"Model, Colorado, July 11, 2008—This rare albino golden eagle was found walking along a fence at a cattle ranch near Model in southern Colorado.

The thin male had badly damaged feathers and was unable to fly, so ranchers called the local game warden, who transferred the bird to the Raptor Center of Pueblo.

Center director Diana Miller said the eagle is being treated for parasites and rehabilitated. A full recovery is expected and release anticipated in three months."



http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/07/photogalleries/animal-photos-week1/photo5.html

Thank goodness that ethereal eagle was saved! I have been bouncing around cybertown reading about redtail migration. From what I read, it is iffy if immatures (first years) will migrate south from Oklahoma, as Oklahoma is already pretty far south, as compared to the wide range of redtails. See this link for a range map and other information. Also a sound bite of the raspy Kreeeee call of the redtail. Shivery beautiful sound. http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/41/_/Red-tailed_Hawk.aspx I have read that movies will use the call of a redtail to make the sound of an eagle, as a redtail's call is more wildly beautiful than an eagle's. Immature redtails generally migrate, IF they migrate at all (depending on prey availability mostly probably) during the end of October and most of November. Some earlier, some later, heading toward Texas (not far from OK, of course) and South America. Their official name: Buteo jamaicensis, originated because they were first scientifically studied in Jamaica! Who knew! I also keep reading that for the first two or three weeks out of their nest, fledglings redtails cannot fly. Our Thunder proved to be the exception to that rule, probably due to her prolonged workout on heart attack ledge.

Hi, Catbird--
I, too, was rummaging around that website this morning. Did you catch those additional terms used for a group of hawks--"boil", "knot", "spiraling", "stream", and "tower" ?

I did see that same list last night but could not find it again today. Clearly somewhere hawks are "flocking" (or boiling) while climbing thermals, but since redtails supposedly are not social outside their own family unit, and do not "flock," I was confused (a normal status for me). So I e-mailed Donna at Palemale Irregulars for help. No reply yet, but it occurred to me that it may be that only when they are migrating that there are enough of them together to form a kettle, boil, etc, and they are all en route south (or in the spring, north) at the same time, climbing thermals to get across some body of water (no thermals over water), from a high glide vantage point. Maybe I answered my own question?

Catbird:

...it may be that only when they are migrating that there are enough of them together to form a kettle, boil, etc, and they are all en route south (or in the spring, north) at the same time, climbing thermals to get across some body of water (no thermals over water), from a high glide vantage point.

Wouldn't that be a sight!

Hey Bville... Hey Catbird!  Missed you guys!  I've been away from the computer getting healthy again!... Off on my little red gal's 10-speed bicycle from the 70's (bought it in my college days!), having one "socal's excellent adventure"   after another  : )     !!!!!  I've been bringing my camera along, and took these of our neighborhood hawk.  It's a red-tail, but a young one, as I think the tail is brown.  I forget about eye color....They look pale yellow... Young? Catbird, refresh my memory...  Anyway:  Here is the link to the pics of my neighborhood rth:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27921002@N08/



Bville: I'm so glad that albino (? or leucistic?) Golden Eagle got some help!  It would be great if we could see the "re-habbed" bird, wouldn't it ?!?  God bless all those wonderful, dedicated wildlife rebabilitation folks (volunteers included, sallyls!!!!)
Catbird:  Thanks for the link to the site with the various calls of the red-tail, red-shouldered hawks! We have both here, I believe.  ... I hear both of those calls (at different times ...) near our home, off and on.

For those of us missing the egg hatching and growing up of babies, there is a Barn Owl nest in The Check Republic that is going through it's 2nd batch of eggs, due to start hatching today or tomorrow. There are Nine (9) eggs that have been laid this time and no one is sure if all will hatch, however, it should provide a little bit of oohing and ahhhhing for some babies.  Sort of sounds like our Red-Tailed kids may be migrating soon? 

anyway, the link is http://www.zoobrno.cz/cz/sycek-obecny/.

 

Enjoy

RC

Socal: I think you are right - light eyes, brown tail, a first year, born this spring about the same time Thunder was born...which means there is possibly a nest in your neighborhood somewhere. In late August, the youngster should be pretty much self-sufficient, and may be expanding her horizons, so perhaps is far from her natal nest. At any rate, it is very cool that you got these photos!

socal-that does look like ti is probably a juvenile, has that wide dark belly band, but then, you guys out west have really dark redtails so I cannot be certain, not an expert at all.  But if the tail is brown, with those light eyes, it has to be a first-year bird.  Our 2nd year birds have molted out their brown tails and are now sporting red ones!

Thanks for the good wishes.  I've been swamped with volunteer work and family concerns, some happy some sad, but haven't had much time for banter lately.  Glad to see everyone is keeping in touch!

http://audubonaction.org/campaign/endangeredspecies/8w6bngx4f3tke7k?

Endangered Species Act Under Attack

In it's final few months in office, the Bush Administration has launched an attack on the Endangered Species Act, our most important wildlife law. The Department of Interior has proposed changes to Endangered Species Act regulations that, if enacted, will gut the regulatory process that protects listed species like Whooping Cranes, Piping Plovers, and Roseate Terns.

The Endangered Species Act currently requires federal agencies to consult with wildlife biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service (depending on the species) before undertaking a project that "may affect" an endangered species. The new proposed rule would greatly limit the circumstances requiring these vitally important consultations, allowing federal agencies to determine on their own if their proposed actions would harm a species, without having to consult with federal biologists who have expert knowledge of the species.

Please help us defend the Endangered Species Act from this latest attack. These proposed sweeping changes will seriously hamper the Act's ability to provide a much needed safety net for our most imperiled wildlife. Your comments are a critical part of the public record in support of our premier wildlife law and we must not be silent. But, the deadline for public comment is September 15.