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Post by armjr on Dec 7, 2020 7:58:35 GMT -5
Early yesterday morning what I believe was a Bald Eagle flew over the yard about 50' up. It was just above the tree tops. In the early light I can't see color or contrast very well but it was way too big to be a buzzard or a caracara. It was carrying a bunch of what looked like moss and weeds (or hay), I couldn't really tell.
There are some nesting pairs in the area around the little lake we have a few miles away. There used to be a big nest in a big tree on an island in one of the larger coves. We (locals) referred to that particular place as "The Eagle's Nest". There was good fishing in that cove but it was all but impossible to fish on the downwind side in hot weather. The tree eventually fell and that was that. I don't know where that pair relocated. We've started having quite a few Osprey as well.
Alan
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Post by James on Dec 7, 2020 11:03:34 GMT -5
Always fun to see an eagle. Enjoy!
Enjoy birds? It is great to have a good bird book. The Peterson guides are good. I also enjoy The Sibley Guide To Birds.
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Post by Mumsey on Dec 12, 2020 4:48:54 GMT -5
armjr , Tis the season for eagles to be building nests! Our Iowa celebrity Decorah eagles have apparently decided to build elsewhere this year, there has been no trace of them at their usual nest. There will be no eagle cam this year unless they show up. We often see them flying above our neighborhood, they are becoming quite common. They don't get their white coloring til 3 years old, so it is hard to tell if it's an eagle. The wing shapes hold some clue. discover.hubpages.com/animals/How-To-Identify-a-Bald-Eagle-By-Its-Wing-Pattern
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Post by davidjp on Dec 12, 2020 16:04:12 GMT -5
Did a spot of out of garden birdwatching the other week. There's a lot of wintering snow geese around now and nice to see and quite a noise. Just after I took that photo of them in a field a bald eagle came in and tried to grab one whereby the whole flock took off and made quite a racket. Amazing site
Here's a video I uploaded to youtube that shows what happened just after i took the first shot. Qualities not that great I'm afraid but you get the idea youtu.be/zny5C9Uitew
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Post by desertwoman on Dec 12, 2020 16:35:05 GMT -5
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Post by gardendmpls on Dec 12, 2020 22:52:48 GMT -5
shows what happened just after i took the first shot Did that eagle manage to get one for supper?
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Post by Wheelgarden on Dec 12, 2020 23:00:13 GMT -5
Wah-ow! I could hear them with sound off. Beautiful, davidjp.
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Post by Mumsey on Dec 13, 2020 5:04:23 GMT -5
davidjp, That's spectacular! We get the Canadian geese here, I've never seen such a huge flock!
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Post by armjr on Dec 13, 2020 12:52:24 GMT -5
A number of years ago there were so many snow geese that they were destroying their own habitat.
Snow geese hunting in Texas has very high daily bag limits, especially in the Spring. It's like 30/day and electronic calls can be used.
As I understand it they are not very palatable.
Alan
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Post by davidjp on Dec 13, 2020 13:09:29 GMT -5
Did that eagle manage to get one for supper? I didn't see that but I'm sure sometimes they are
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Post by James on Dec 16, 2020 11:55:17 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing the pictures.
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Post by Wheelgarden on Jan 10, 2021 20:06:39 GMT -5
The winter birds abound, and it's so nice to have them. Why, lordy-mercy, there's the resident Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Downy woodpeckers, Titmouses, Chickadees, Crows, Mockingbirds, House Finches and Wrens, Sparrows, Bluebirds, Pileated woodpeckers, Robins, various Hawks, the occasional Cowbirds, the occasional Eagles, Turkeys, many others, and the ones I don't even see.
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Post by James on Jan 12, 2021 13:46:57 GMT -5
Enjoy those winter birds!
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Post by James on Jan 13, 2021 12:46:56 GMT -5
On the bird feeder: Magpie, Junco, Starling, Eu Dove, Spug.
Ok, what is going on over there?
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Post by binnylou on Jan 13, 2021 14:50:48 GMT -5
We feed the birds from an open platform feeder that is perforated for drainage. It is mounted on a heavy metal pole with a smooth finish. A Downy Woodpecker has discovered dining from the underside of the platform, as there's no competition on the underside. And I see that he can navigate moving up that smooth metal pole...tricky, he is. If you watch closely, he does slide a bit, though.
The Goldfinches, in their drab winter colors, have discovered the thistle seed bag. There were 16 of them yesterday, looking for a space to feed from. The bag will hold about 8 of them at one time. Reasonably cheap entertainment.
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