I was at the job yesterday , and I steeped outside for a minute and this bird was sitting on the parapet.
..these are not my pictures, but they were taken at the plant and there is a pair of these nesting near the top of the stack on the right. This female who has been at this plant sine ’01 is from a powerplant in Wis. and her mate is from U.S. Steel in Gary
.I spotted her on the roof at the far right of the building, where the conveyor ends
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, wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?
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Any chance you could send them my way to help control the pigeon population? Sky rats are everywhere...
no kiddin, they sky are black with them things down there.....
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I was out in the front yard last summer, chatting with my neighbor, and there was a pigeon standing about twenty feet away from us. All of a sudden, some kind of falcon or hawk swooped down out of the sky, nabbed the pigeon, and was gone. It was pretty amazing to see, and it happened so fast the predator bird was just a blur.
, some kind of falcon or hawk swooped down out of the sky
Probably a hawk. Hawk's generally pick their prey off the ground and falcons pick their prey out of the air. Hawks are built to to soar in the air and falcons are built for speed and meneuvering. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..†– Hume
Stuart, it is fascinating to see isn't it?
I noticed a hawk in this tree last summer and had the glasses on him. I was hoping to establish some flying tendencies in an effort to identify him. Suddenly he took flight and I was thrilled because I had him in my sights. But just as suddenly, I noticed that he was flying in a much different pattern and I lost him. I dropped the glasses and watched him start a gyration that could only be described as acrobatic...much like the martins and swallows. Then I noticed that he was on the hunt of a songbird that had mistakenly flew into his range!
The birds entered a real life dogfight and the songbird pulled a hard left just beyond the next door neighbors house. The hawk had to abandon chase and flew off.
I was able to positively identify the hawk as a Sharp-shinnned Hawk which feeds primarily on birds. A Sharp Shinned Hawk only gets 14" long so I don't know if it could take a pigeon, but it sure was fun to watch it go after that tweey bird!
blue"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
Awesome pics Maddog. I'd have loved to be that close to one of those.
I've been hanging out on Lake Huron here since August and I've seen my share of interesting wildlife scenes. I love it. It never ceases to amaze me. Eagles, Swans, Fox, Deer, Ducks of every species. Migrating Geese, Mergansers , Buffleheads, etc. A couple of Common Mergansers just winged by. I don't know why they didn't fly south LOL! I know they are wondering too. It's an iceland out here!
blue
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keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
there is a little beach up in Michigan City, that is adjacent to another power house.... access is by permission from the DNR and the plant, so people are scarce ...I spotted some different birds along the shore a few weeks ago.but the "THREAT" Level was "elevated" and I couldn't get permission to get out there .....at least the nests don't get disturbed.
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Mergansers , Buffleheads
I consider myself somewhat knowledgable on the outdoor world, but I have to say I have never heard of these two animals before. Merganser maybe but I've never heard of a bufflehead (worked with a couple guys that fit that description though)“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..†– Hume
I just checked,and a bufflehead is one of the birds I saw up at M.C. one of my nitwit compadres tried telling me it was a loon, cuz I had never seen the bird..
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Loons are easily distinguishable by the way they hold their heads as they swim. It's at a much different angle, pointing somewhat upward than ducks.
I saw quite a few loons laying over on the shores of Lake Huron this fall, which itself was unusual. They are usually more likely to be seen on inland lakes. I also saw more than one loon at a time out there this past fall, which I've never seen before. Up till then, I've always only saw one loon at a time.
I did get to see a loon have trouble with a takeoff. This is something I've read about and was pleased to witness. This particular loon was having a very difficult time getting airborne and I think I wathed him run on the water for about 100 yards before giving up and setting bAck down to rest a bit. I think perhaps that chop in Lake Huron made it difficult for him, but I really don't know if that is an accurate theory. It was somewhat amusing though.
This fall, I saw a lot of things I've never saw before but I cant remember all of them. Just yesterday I was thrilled to see a mature bald eagle make a dive for a bufflehead. Luckily I had the field glasses in hand as the bald eagle took flight and I could see the ducks in the water behind the eagle. As the eagle circled all the ducks dove and the eagle dropped his talons into the water and grabbed air....er I mean water LOL! The eagle flew off and perched on the north pier of the Au Sable River. I watched the two (there was another perched on the icy mountains) for more than a half hour but they never made another attempt, even though some more ducks flew in and landed within their striking range. It got too dark and I gave up my watch. I might be geeky but this stuff fascinates me.
blue
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keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
Edited 3/4/2007 6:55 pm ET by blue_eyed_devil
never seen Loons up close...only far away ...but the songs can sure make you sad.I have been trying to attach some pictures but am having no luck tonite.....in the mean time here are two.
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Nice pics. I've missed some dandies on the Eagles. I've never seen an osprey.
I cant say I've ever heard the cry of the loon in real life. I've heard them on tape though.
I am a big fan of birding, although I don't do it on a formal basis. There is an active chapter in this town and everytime I learn about where they are meeting, I'm a day late or have something else planned.
I did find the skull of an eagle washed up on shore this summer.
blue"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
I had to get those shots in Minnesota, sloshing around in a boat on a very windy day.
haven't seen either down this way but I thought I spotted a Golden Eagle .once.
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You mention that late migration, just ahead of the month long cold wave. Here a bit off the waterfowl migration route, I saw a whole lot of robins come through. Probably a couple days b/4 the temps fell. Thought it odd so late in the season (jan.) but attributed it to the previous warmth. They sure preceded a long cold spell. Good predictors if you keep your eye on the sky.
Too bad the daffodils didn't do that.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
you mention Robins.they're all over the place.although I have seen them as early as Feb. 20 in past years, but snow is still on the ground everywhere and I don't know what else they eat, and three days ago I saw a wren on a suet feeder. !!!....I ran around like an idiot making sure the wren houses were still OK..
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outside of them turning to popsicles, maybe they could go for some grub worms - available at some swank bird or pet stores and maybe feed stores. They have not returned yet, but that last influx sure were heading south a couple days ahead of that sub freezing month we had ..........finally. There were hundreds.
The grackles have made their northerly move apparent. Had to re tension our perching feeder so their gang mentality would close the door. Everybodies got to eat, but they'll empty a feed in a day.
The couple wren houses we have around here I used to judicially clean out. Then I read that they will do the house cleaning themselves. Sure enough the house wrens last year pulled out the old (partially) and refilled. I guess if you have concern about avarian diseases, good idea to clean it up yourself.
Spring is coming.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
well I also saw some blubirds yikes...but I wanted to check the wren houses cuz I just feel better. doing it but if they clean them out that's fine too...;).
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We have a nesting pair of Bluebirds already setting up in the house out back This is the earliest I have seen them in the past four years.
Maybe sign of an early spring?
There are a pair of perigin falcons at our Trimble County power plant. I think they have been ther for five or six years.
Dave
let's hope so....and they're not just screwed up by the weather too.
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I see the true bluebirds when I get out in the "meadow", but here in the trees they don't often venture. I think they like to see whats around them, probably for safety sake.
We do have an abundance of the slightly larger birds that shine blue-the indigo buntings.
Did I tell you I won 15- 20lb bags of birdseed a couple years ago at the Wild Birsd Unlimited store's 15th anniv. ?
I was the don trump of birdfeeding.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
The bufflehead is a species of diving duck.Jase--Is there a better way?
A reference book on waterfowl will fill in your blank spot.
Buffleheads and mergansers are both ducks, US has three different species of mergansers, common, red breasted and hooded. Buffleheads = one species only.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Mergansers are birds, that are in the duck family. I guess they are species of diving ducks. They are different in that they are meat eaters unlike most ducks which are not. Because they are meat eaters, they are not usually wanted by duck hunters for human consumption. They are despised as dinner fare. Many outdoorsman make dogfood out of them.
Buffleheads are small diving ducks. They hang out with the mergansers and other diving species in great numbers.
During the migration, these diving ducks come down from the far north and follow the great lakes and often "raft" up in Lake Huron and Lake St Clair and I'm sure they hang out in Lake Erie too. As the weather turns colder, they fly south to winter. Rafts will contain up to many hundred of thousands of ducks and mergansers on the great lakes and lake st clair.
It's unusual that these species would stay and hang out but the winter started out so warm that many were still here after the new year. As the big cold front hit us, I could see and watch bunches of stragglers heading south over Lake Huron. I'm surprised that I'm still seeing few stragglers. It's not unusual to see some straggling puddle ducks such as mallards if there is open water (we have open water on the river) but the diver ducks need different types of habitat to stay alive.
blue"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
Those things are really cool birds. Going from memory, it seems like I've heard that they pull their wings in tight and dive on their prey from above at something like 200 MPH.
They'er beautiful up close, too. I've worked with a few of them at a wildlife rehab center.
A: 68........Cuz at 69 you have to turn around.
I believe BOTH your speeds are correct.....LOL.
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I caught a nature show recently where they strapped a tiny video camera on the back of a falconer's peregrine and caught the "stoop" maneuver (I think that's what it was called, when they do the corkscrewing 200 mph dive into a prey bird) from the falcon's point of view. It made the hottest fighter jets look graceless - absolutely amazing.did<!---->Cure Diabetes - Whitefish, Montana, 2007!<!---->
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Saw that same program. Pretty cool stuff. Studying raptors to design airplanes.
I spent one summer working on a reintroduction program. We placed falcon chicks
in a box on the side of a cliff, and when they were able to fly opened the cage and let them go. Its nice to know the population has recovbered as nicely as it has. I think it has been downlisted fron endangered to threatened.
the folks at the plant tell me that Falcons have been there since '98 and over 20 have "fledged" there is a nesting box at the plant by the lake by it appears to have been abandoned...I thought the box was in a stupid location,but what do I know?.
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There used to be a pair that nested on one of the Mayo buildings in Rochester. I remember going to Mayo Park one 4th of July for a concert and watching them soar in the distance as the Star Spangled Banner was playing.
that's one nice little town Dan but..... that was20 years ago.
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I like the one where she's perched outside looking at you like you're crazy for taking her picture.
who me ..crazy LOL I'm gonna have to sneak my camera in now that I know where she hangs out.
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View Image
Rough legged Hawk. Taken by one of our local park naturalists-migrate through and on occasion stay here. This guy has some incredible talent in bird photography.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
exquisite,The raptors all seem to have the same intense look to them.
while all other birds just look like they're having a good time.
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you know, some people could learn alot about personality if they sat down and watched some birds once in a while.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Raptors (and preditors in general) have their eyes facing forward.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Gotta say, I love raptors. We have several types around here and see them all the time: bald eagles, various types of hawks, owls, and harriers. The eagles are everywhere. I was riding my bike along a quiet stretch of road last summer and came upon an adult sitting on a fence post a few feet off the road. He looked to be about three feet tall just sitting there, and I was actually startled for a moment to be so close to him. Them's BIG birds and they got big sharp beaks, talons, and piercing eyes. They rarely let you get close.
the shoreline along this part of Lake Michigan is primarily sand dunes with some are quite tall and I suspect I might find some hunters near the tops of those some day ...maybe even that eagle.
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I took my daughter here http://www.eraptors.org/ to the cascade raptor center over the weekend. I've been in this town 10 years and never went. What a place! They have over 60 birds resident and in rehabilitation, and 3 Peregrines.
today I'm going to be setting a new antenna on the stack where the Falcon nest is located............was up there yesterday doing some preliminary work.....the pair are back and the male was buzzing me the whole time ....today I'll have a small camera with me.....
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But do you think the falcon will know how to operate it?
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
hahaha...the camera or or D-link...?.
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Maybe you need a falcon costume.
Nah, I'm thinking an Easter Bunny outfit.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
maybe the San Diego Chicken.
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I probably should have worn acostume .the male was flying around on our first trip up, but was AWOL the rest of the day...he may have been inside the nest..but I was too chickensh!d too look.the nest is on the right edge in the "perch" shot.and is on the platform on the left stack at the bump that is even with the top of the stack on the right...
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