Sharp Shinned Hawk Update

Terryann sent me this note this morning. Good to see that the hawk(s) is still around.

Hey There!

Well, our backyard has become quite the place! We have TWO SSHawks! I was watching one on the fence when another larger one appeared! I am thinking either we have a parent and juvenile, or two juveniles...one female and one male, one is a lot larger than the other. They have been swooping and diving in and out of the trees and landing on our fence and in the trees. Quite an exciting morning! They are so fast, I have not been able to catch them with the camera. I don't even know if they have made any kills yet today.
Just thought I would up-date you on our visitors! Bye for now.

Sharp-Shinned vs Cooper's Hawk ID

This has been a great discussion and ID lesson for these hawks. Thanks Terryann for initiating and thanks to Bruce Haak (Idaho Dept of Fish and Game Biologist) and Sean Finn (Golden Eagle Chapter, National Audubon Society) for your inputs. Robin found the following information on the two hawks at The Bird Source. Interesting.

Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks

Sharp-shinned (Accipiter striatus) and Cooper’s (Accipiter cooperii) hawks commonly prey on feeder birds, and they are frequently reported by FeederWatchers. Despite their common occurrence, these hawks present a significant identification problem for many beginning and intermediate (and even more advanced!) birders. Throughout the year, there is great variation in plumage and in size for these two species. Therefore, perhaps more than any other similar-looking pair, no single field mark is likely to distinguish one species from the other. Instead, the careful observer must use a combination of field marks and draw from the overall "gestalt" of the hawk for proper identification. No field guide will substitute plenty of practice in the field for this pair.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

A small, jay-size hawk (avg. 10-14" long), with dark gray back, a rusty-barred breast, a slender square-tipped tail. Left, adult: sexes are similar, but female is larger in size.- SIZE: Similar to a jay or a dove. Female is larger and can be similar to smaller Cooper's. Therefore, size often unreliable.
- BODY SHAPE: Broad chest and narrow hips lend the bird a more regal appearance...center of gravity is often high
- LEGS: Thinner, pencil-like legs compared to Cooper's.
- TAIL: Tip of long tail is square, showing prominent corners. The outer tail feathers are usually the longest (or nearly so). Don't mistake thin white terminal band with grey above as the "broad white band" of Cooper's. Note: tail tip of soaring bird appears rounded.
- HEAD FEATHERS: Feathers on crown and back of neck are dark, giving the bird a "hooded" appearance.
- SOARING: Short rounded wings are pushed forward at the wrists, so that the small head barely extends past the wings.
- FLIGHT: Typically flies with several quick wingbeats followed by a short glide. When compared to the Cooper’s Hawk, the Sharp-shinned’s wing beats are erratic, more difficult to count.

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawks

-Birds have brown backs and streaked underparts.
-Heavy, bold (reddish) streaks on underparts, especially on lower breast and belly.
-Birds have yellow eyes (adults have red eyes). Usually has a pale stripe above the eye.

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Cooper's Hawk

A medium crow-size hawk (avg.14-20" long) with a dark gray back, a rusty-barred breast, dark cap, and a long, rounded tail. Right, adult: sexes are similar, but female is larger in size.
- SIZE: Slightly larger than most Sharp-shinneds, similar to a crow.
- BODY SHAPE: Broad chest and thick body lend the bird a thicker, "scrappy" appearance. Thick, tubular body has a lower center of gravity than Sharp-shinned.
- LEGS: Thicker than Sharp-shinned.
- TAIL: In fresh fall plumage, its long tail is rounded at the tip with a broad white band. The middle tail feathers are usually the longest.
HEAD FEATHERS: Feathers on crown are black and feathers on back of neck are pale, giving the bird a "capped" appearance. Feathers on back of head often raised, giving it a crested look. (This is never seen on the Sharp-shinned.)
- SOARING: The large, angular head projects far beyond the wings giving the bird a cross-like appearance. Extended tail appears proportionally longer than Sharp-shinneds, though this feature is often too subtle to detect.
- FLIGHT: Often flies with slower wing beats followed by a short glide. The slower, regular wing beats are easily counted when bird flies overhead.

Immature Cooper's Hawks

-Birds have brown backs and streaked underparts.
-Finer streaks mostly on upper breast; lower belly mostly white.
- Yellow eyes (adults have red eyes). Lacks stripe above the eye.
-Often has reddish cast on side of head and nape.

So there we have some more information on the bird spotted by Terryann. Thanks to all who helped on the identification and the resource data. Cheers! Keep up the great work.

New Photos From Terryann

Maybe the "mystery" is being solved. Terryann submitted these photos of the same bird blogged below. This second set of photos is more descriptive. This is not a Peregrine, but rather probably a Cooper's Hawk. Look at the legs and the face.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Terryann sent me this email about these photos and the bird:

Hi Bob,

Ok...I think my visiting friend may be a Coopers Hawk. It made 2 kills this morning. One was a smaller bird and the other was a Dove. It stayed, ate, and even took a little snooze after all it's hard work. It stayed for well over an hour before finally taking flight with the remainder of the Dove it was eating.
While talking with Kay this morning and describing what I was looking at, she stated she found a picture that looked like it may be a Coopers Hawk, so I looked it up on the site she sent me, and looked it up on the computer, it sure looks like a match to me.
What a beautiful creature to start the day off with! It seems it knows this is a good spot for eating as I feed many birds in my yard. There are at times over 57 Dove in my yard at one time, not to mention the Finches and others that partake of all the bird food I have out for them.
Let me know what you think...is it a Coopers Hawk, or...???

Terryann/Birdlady

We need your opinion(s). Cheers!

Peregrines Spotted In Meridian

On 14 November I received an email from Terryann Simioni (Birdlady) from Meridian. In that email she also sent some photos. Here are her photos (they do belong to her) and the correspondence that we had. Enjoy and it is always fun to keep track of the peregrines in the Boise, Idaho area.

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Subject: This was on my fence this morning...

Hello Bob and Robin,

Ok...so I know these are not great pics...but I took them through the window and I couldn't get the flash off. If I had opened the door...it would have been gone...can you tell "what" it is??? It was pretty good sized...did not look like the Peregrine that normally visits my fence. It was having a nice snack...feathers where flying! It did an "eat and run" right there on my fence at about 7:45 this morning. It was pretty puffed up at the time...tried looking on the computer to find something that matched...but couldn't. Let me know what you think! Hope all is well with you and yours.
Terryann

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From: Bob
To: Terryann Simoni
Cc: Jack Cafferty (PFund) ; Haak,Bruce
Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 12:06 PM
Subject: Re: This was on my fence this morning...
Hi Terryann,
Yes indeed, it does look like a peregrine. Looks like female, but hard to tell. Send this to Bruce Haak at Fish and Game and let him try to ID. (I have CC'd this to Bruce and Jack Cafferty) Let him know your precise location because they keep track of such things. Do you know what it was eating? That is good info, too.
Thanks for the photos,
Bob and Robin

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Thanks Bob!
I didn't want to say what I "thought" it was until I had someone verify it! This would make a second one then...the one that visits normally does not have that much white on it's chest. I have seen a pair circling above our house a couple of times, and watched them dive as well. Looked like they were in "teaching" mode the last time I saw them diving. All I know is it was a bird that it was eating...it was just tearing feathers like crazy...then watched as it ate...I believe it was somewhat small...maybe one of our little finches...yes, I still have some here! Also could have been what my grandma used to call a "chick-a-dee". I have a lot of those as well and they love to be in my forsythia bush. What a wonderful surprise it was this morning!
Thanks again for your input!
Terryann

Thanks to Terryann for sending these photos and for the discussion. I do hope that Jack Cafferty and Bruce Haak (they are both extremely busy) can comment on this sighting. Cheers to everyone and please do submit your sightings of the Boise peregrines whenever you see them.

Boise Downtown Falcons

On 05 November 2009, I received word that there was a falcon on the hack box in downtown Boise on the Capital One Building at 10th and Main Streets. The report said that it was the mother of this years falcons. I find that somewhat doubtful, as this particular falcon has both juvenile and adult colors. Plus, it looks like a male to me. Here are the photos. You be the judge. (Left click on the photo to go Full Screen)











Cheers! And do leave a comment with your opinion. Thanks.

October 2009

It seems like forever since I've been here - maybe it has. All of the falcons are still in the Boise area. The tiercel adult tends to stay around the downtown area - there must be enough resource for him to survive. One of the juveniles stays with him, probably the male. The female adult is "around", but not as visible as the others. The female juvenile (pictured on the left this past summer) has been spotted in the outlying areas of Boise, usually to the west. It looks like they may stay in the area all winter. It is getting late for a migration, where they usually follow the resource. There has been some cold weather here, in the upper 20's degree F and some snow, but nothing very serious, which may explain why they stay around the hack box - for protection from the elements. All of the falcons appear to be healthy and well fed. Personally, I think we may see them next year in the downtown area. Cheers and if you see them in Boise or the surrounding area, please let us know.

Boise Peregrines Still Around

After one has followed these falcons from infancy through fledging, it is always great to see them flying around the city. I have personally spotted them in the Northend of Boise, several times in the past four or five weeks. It is the juveniles that I spot, flying low and at times, fast. They do look good and healthy. Keep your eyes "peeled" for them and report any sighting that you may have. Cheers!

Buffelshoek Trust

Buffelshoek Trust

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Vulture Awareness Day

From the World Center of Birds of Prey - The Peregrine Fund, we received the following information.

Learn About One of Nature’s Amazing Recyclers at International Vulture Awareness Day, 5 September

Vultures may not be the prettiest of birds but they perform a crucial clean-up and recycling role in our environment by consuming dead animals that might otherwise spread disease and contamination. The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey is celebrating these amazing but threatened species at International Vulture Awareness Day on Saturday, 5 September.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 youth
Information: 362-8687
Location: World Center for Birds of Prey, 5668 W. Flying Hawk Lane

Lucy, a 10-year-old turkey vulture in the education program, will demonstrate her flying skills throughout the day. Lucy has been a vulture ambassador since coming to the World Center for Birds of Prey as a 5-month-old chick. She was rescued from people who had taken her illegally from the wild.

Two videos will be shown: “The Last Flight” describes the vulture crisis in India, where vultures are rapidly disappearing; “Curious as a Raven” is about the reintroduction of the California Condor, one of the world’s most endangered birds. The Peregrine Fund raises condors at the World Center for Birds of Prey and releases them to the wild in northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon.

The Peregrine Fund also helps monitor and study vultures in Africa and Asia, where many vulture populations are in severe decline. In 2004, The Peregrine Fund discovered that the veterinary drug Diclofenac, used to treat sick livestock that later die and are left to scavengers, was responsible for massive vulture die-offs in India, Pakistan and Nepal. The drug was banned by those nations in 2006 but is still in wide use. Populations of White-backed Vultures, for example, have dropped by 99.7% since 1990 in India and no breeding pairs have been found in recent years in Pakistan. There are now fewer than 11,000 of these birds, down from 40 million. Loss of such scavengers has far-reaching ecological, economic, cultural and public health effects. http://peregrinefund.org/conserve_category.asp?category=Asian%20Vulture%20Crisis

This is the first time that Vulture Awareness Day is being celebrated internationally. It was first organized by the Bird of Prey Working Group in South Africa, Hawk Conservancy Trust in England, and their partners. The aim of the day is to create awareness of the plight of all vulture species worldwide and highlight the work done by conservationists who monitor vulture populations and take steps to conserve the birds and their habitat. http://www.ivad09.org/

Memories From The Past

Well, the falcons are sorta kinda slow now. Yes, they are still around Boise and they have been spotted. Even had two fly North over State Street at 19th Street. Headed for Emmett? Who knows. But here is a photo that Helen (Kate) Sudmeier sent me. Bob, Robin and Louise at the "Bagel Place". Enjoy! But before I leave, look at www.wildearth.tv for some exciting, time consuming viewing. Be sure to join the chat - doesn't do a whole lot of good just to "lurk" - you can not add to the conversations or the knowledge base. Cheers!

The Peregrine Fund Celebrates 10 Years

On 20 August, the World Center For Birds of Prey - The Peregrine Fund, located in Boise, Idaho, held a party for "Back From The Brink", celebrating the return of the Peregrine Falcon, Falco perigrinus, from the brink of extinction. It was my distinct honor to help in some of the earliest releases of the falcons by the Peregrine Fund, starting in the mid-1980's. Here are some photos.

Cheers!

Djuma Wildlife Reserve, South Africa

On 17 August, we took a live web cam morning drive through the bush of the Djuma Wildlife Reserve, South Africa. The cam is brought to us by Wildearth.tv and is awesome - there is a link in the sidebar. The drives are live and interactive - they will answer your questions in "real time". Such is technology!! Enjoy and cheers! The photos are taken directly from the computer; They are screen shots.