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Title: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 04-Dec-14, 01:48:58 PM Found in the backyard today.
http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/hawk1.JPG (http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/hawk1.JPG) http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/hawk2.JPG (http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/hawk2.JPG) Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: Kris G. on 04-Dec-14, 08:14:53 PM Could you post its face..might be easier to ID.
Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 04-Dec-14, 09:36:51 PM Could you post its face..might be easier to ID. I knew someone would ask for a face photo as soon as I uploaded the others, but I had to go out and just got back. My camera gives too much color intensity with flash, and throws in some blue hue that is not really there, but these may be useful. This has to be an adult - way too late in the year for young birds. Kestrel? I've never seen one around here (Southeast Alabama). It's like it just fell out of the sky. http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/face1.JPG (http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/face1.JPG) http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/face2.JPG (http://www.afn.org/~afn02552/photos/hawk%3f/face2.JPG) Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: Donna on 04-Dec-14, 10:20:14 PM Awe, poor thing! Wonder if it was being carried by another larger bird!! I have no clue!! :(
Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: MAK on 04-Dec-14, 11:32:26 PM It's definitely not a Kestrel. I think it's a Merlin. I've attached a pic of a Merlin. What d'ya think!?
Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 05-Dec-14, 02:08:21 AM It's definitely not a Kestrel. I think it's a Merlin. I've attached a pic of a Merlin. What d'ya think!? I think the Merlin may well be it. Thanks MAK! Wish I could have photographed this one live. Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: MAK on 05-Dec-14, 06:05:45 AM It's definitely not a Kestrel. I think it's a Merlin. I've attached a pic of a Merlin. What d'ya think!? I think the Merlin may well be it. Thanks MAK! Wish I could have photographed this one live. It's a beauty whatever it is! :sorrow: Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: patsy6 on 05-Dec-14, 11:57:03 AM It's definitely not a Kestrel. I think it's a Merlin. I've attached a pic of a Merlin. What d'ya think!? I think the Merlin may well be it. Thanks MAK! Wish I could have photographed this one live. Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 05-Dec-14, 12:32:14 PM It looks like a merlin to me as well. Sad that it died, though. I wonder what happened to it. [/quote] No obvious signs of trauma, no scattering of feathers, just lying in the yard. Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: Carol P. on 05-Dec-14, 01:35:48 PM Did you find it close to your house? I wonder if it hit the house, or something else, while pursuing prey. Sad.
Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 05-Dec-14, 02:47:47 PM Did you find it close to your house? I wonder if it hit the house, or something else, while pursuing prey. Sad. About 15' from the corner of the house (single story) so I guess that's a possibility. No signs of impact, no feathers. Never know for sure. Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 11-Dec-14, 12:50:33 PM I couldn't match the horizontal marking under the eye or the yellow coloring on the head to any Merlin or other hawk photos on the web, so I went to the experts at Cornell. Here is the reply I received today:
That's not a hawk. Notice the lack of talons on the feet. The bird is also too chunky and short winged to manage the quick maneuvers that hawks require. That's a female Northern Bobwhite. You can learn more about the species on the Cornell Lab's All About Birds online guide: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/id (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/id) Happy FeederWatching, Anne Marie Johnson Project Assistant Project FeederWatch Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 http://feederwatch.org (http://feederwatch.org) (607) 254-2416 Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: Donna on 11-Dec-14, 01:31:02 PM Well I'll be! Pretty sad for that little fella! Glad you found out. Thanks
Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: Kris G. on 11-Dec-14, 03:45:55 PM I couldn't match the horizontal marking under the eye or the yellow coloring on the head to any Merlin or other hawk photos on the web, so I went to the experts at Cornell. Here is the reply I received today: That's not a hawk. Notice the lack of talons on the feet. The bird is also too chunky and short winged to manage the quick maneuvers that hawks require. That's a female Northern Bobwhite. You can learn more about the species on the Cornell Lab's All About Birds online guide: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/id (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/id) Happy FeederWatching, Anne Marie Johnson Project Assistant Project FeederWatch Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 http://feederwatch.org (http://feederwatch.org) (607) 254-2416 I didn't think it looked too hawkish either but I'm no expert. Glad you found out what it was..interesting! Title: Re: Bird ID - Hawk? Post by: nwfloridafalconfan on 11-Dec-14, 04:12:50 PM I guess I should have considered this earlier. There used to be a quail farm a couple of miles from here. It's been gone for a decade or more, but I have seen quail scurrying across the road down that way from time to time.
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