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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jun 17, 2011 - 08:48pm PT
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Hey Little Z, its a Cinereous Vulture. They would buzz me while sitting still glassing for Ibex and Argali Sheep. A very big bird!
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jun 17, 2011 - 09:01pm PT
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He likes fruit loops but what species?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 17, 2011 - 09:06pm PT
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He looks a Keel-billed but there should some green to the base of his bill
and some greenish-blue around the eye. A couple of stops over-exposed.
Here's lookin' at you, kid.
So tell me again why all that bill is necessary.
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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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Jun 17, 2011 - 09:11pm PT
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Wow, Q-ball, that is a funky bird, a big funky bird. Very cool. Bet that made you nervous having that hulking thing overhead trying to figure out if you might be past your expiration date.
I'm amazed at all the far off and wondrous places you people get to for your birding. And you're climbers too? I get such a chuckle out of that. I used to drive all my former climbing partners nuts whenever I'd start pointing out birds. And when don't you see a bird when you're out climbing? Only when I climbed in the UK did I run into a fair number of birding-climbers. In fact it seemed like everyone had at least dabbled in both endeavors.
Thanks to everyone for sharing the great photos, of exotics and backyard birds alike.
JZ
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jun 17, 2011 - 09:20pm PT
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You guys are great! Yup a Keel Billed. I can't comment on bill coloration but it is from Honduras.
About the big bill, I'm amazed at the abilities but lack of power it has. They can hardly even make a painful pinch. This bird is at my Uncle's rescue in Copan Honduras. Whenever the Gov of honduras confiscates smuggling birds they send them to him. I swear those birds get better treatment than any pets!
I'm not a birder but think I have a pretty good handle on some of them. Awesome thread, I've learned a lot!
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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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Jun 17, 2011 - 09:21pm PT
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Q-Ball's bird would be a Keel-billed if it's from Honduras. Angle of the head makes the green facial skin seem yellow, and the other colors are farther out on the bill.
Toucan bills are as light as a feather and have many hollow spaces. For sound resonating? They certainly are adept at wielding the things around to snatch fruit from the tips of small branches or to grab nasty but yummy things like tarantulas and centipedes. Also handy for extracting nestlings and eggs from the cavity nests of other birds (not so cute anymore, huh?)
JZ
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Tony
Trad climber
Berkeley, CA
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Jun 17, 2011 - 11:03pm PT
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Ooh, a Keel-billed Toucan, the national bird of Belize! We head there tomorrow, and I am anxious to see one (at least). I've been studying the field guide and there are many cool new birds to see, or at least hear.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 18, 2011 - 08:41pm PT
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hey there say, tony... wow, the browsers been opened for a bit and i SEE the "surfers" ... neat picture, i always loved watching stuff like that off the calif coast, when i was a kid, or was at my folks's homeland area...
say, all, here are my "nesters", and then, the straggler (my ol' pupdog patty ann marie, ran after it on the day it tried flying! which opened the news to me that these babes had now flown the nest--day before or so, they were STILL in it...
first the nest pic...
then the baby bird that was still learning...
hmm, will do more later, it is not working, too slow for some reason, :(
see you all soon,
god bless... :)
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 18, 2011 - 09:38pm PT
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hey there say, well, lets try again, :))
here is the three babes, nearly ready:
here is the straggler that patty nearly got:
is not working again, *i have to go through two browerser here, to get to the picture to upload and the computer at times, just stalls out, :(
well, i'll be back, :)
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 18, 2011 - 09:56pm PT
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hey there say, all.... here is the last bunch of pics from the little babe robin.... they still hang out near by...
but not in the yard.... sure miss that mama and papa robin, :)
all done for now...
:)
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NigelSSI
Trad climber
B.C.
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Jun 18, 2011 - 10:22pm PT
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Sadly no camera was anywhere nearby,
This morning while having a coffee out on my porch a Peregrine hit an Eagle HARD about 40' in front of me. The Eagle was forced down, and hung out for a few minutes before getting back in the air.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 19, 2011 - 01:38am PT
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John,
Where'd ya see the gift-wrapped dinosaur? One was seen the other day just
about La Crescenta.
...........................................
Juvenile Black-crowned Night heron in Ushuaia wondering
"what the flock am I doing in this gawd-forsaken place?"
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 19, 2011 - 01:40am PT
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Nigel, that must have been quite something, a peregrine attacking an eagle. Was there any apparent reason? Was it an juvenile eagle, or perhaps threatening the falcon's nest?
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NigelSSI
Trad climber
B.C.
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Jun 19, 2011 - 02:01am PT
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I've never seen anything quite like it. Actually heard the impact, then the eagle made an awkward landing, and hung out for a bit. I just stayed sitting still, so as not to disturb the poor beggar.
It was an adult Eagle, and I didn't get to see the lead up... Just the eagle flying into view, and getting pounded by the falcon right in front of me a couple seconds later. They were coming from the general direction of a peregrine nest at the local crag a couple km away from my house. Quite a ways, but not if you're flying I suppose. Eagles are in the air frequently up there, though I've never noticed the falcons paying them much attention.
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john hansen
climber
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Jun 19, 2011 - 03:02am PT
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The condor was at the grand canyon, I was all stoked and was telling people along the trail that there was a Condor. They said, "oh yeah there are two of them sitting right by the overlook" Went back a hundred yards and sure enough there there they were not 15 ft away.
About five minutes after that one of the park condor trackers chased them off. They don't want them to hang around human's.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jun 19, 2011 - 03:29pm PT
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Nigel,
I wonder if it was a juvenile Peregrine or just a juvenile delinquent Peregrine.
Actually, both being predators I think it likely that 'it takes one to know one'
and the Peregrine just might not have appreciated the eagle's eyeballing the
Peregrine's nest even from afar.
....................................
The above juvenile's dad:
"But, son, Ushuaia looked so appealing in the brochures!"
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NigelSSI
Trad climber
B.C.
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Jun 19, 2011 - 03:56pm PT
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Thinking about it a bit more, it seems clear to me that the peregrine was dogging the eagle due to the low altitude this occurred at. Not sure of the peregrine's maturity, but my guess is adult. I see eagles pretty frequently around my place, but normally much higher. I'm in a bit of a valley, with tall trees around the rim, so there was very likely a fast elevation drop in the eagle's flight, assuming the bird kept roughly the same path as I saw. Approximately 150' drop over 200'.
The peregrine wasn't diving as fast as I've seen them go before. Sometimes on the crag you get a great doppler effect when they go full out past you. There's been a few that dived close by on the hunt that sounded like old WWII planes due to vibrating feathers. This is only the 2nd strike I've seen in it's entirety. The other ended in a puff of feathers from a small bird, and surely instant death. Pretty cool stuff all around.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 19, 2011 - 11:29pm PT
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More from the Montlake Landfill (aka Union Bay Natural Area) in Seattle. cloudy/rainy Sunday June 19, 2011
Nesting Grebe:
Its mate would occasionally bring it something, food or nesting grass?
White crowned (ok you see them all over)
Killdeer with a nest in one of the gravel parking lots.
(faking it)
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Jun 22, 2011 - 04:15pm PT
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Speaking of Peregrines, there's a pair at Cave Rock these days. I just noticed them this morning, while driving Hwy. 50, and later in the day I swung back through to get a better look. Apparently they've been hanging around for 4-5 weeks:
This guy was also there today, singing his head off:
Canyon Wren is a species I've been trying to catch up with in the Tahoe basin for YEARS. Any Tahoe folks out there know of a consistent location?? By all accounts they just sort of drift through without any regular breeding spots. These east shore outcrops seem to be the best places to stumble across them when they're around.
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