Rfalconcam Forum

EAGLE OWL, African - I took this in Siena, Italy, at a falconry display.

EAGLE, immature martial

why just immature? The most compelling pictures of martial eagles I found on a quick Google Image Search were of immature animals.
 
Try it: google image search Immature Martial Eagle. Splendid pictures.
If someone else wants to post middle-aged martial eagles, they can go ahead. I won't be greedy.

photo by M. Muramura on this page:
http://gallery.rutoto.com/photos/v/Birds/eagle_martial_immature.jpg.html

OK, one more.

EIDER
Spectacled eiders are large sea ducks. Steller's eiders are medium-sized sea ducks.
"Eider" in Russian is Gaga. Just sayin'.

They sound as good as they look; I highly recommend listening to this entire recording. You will possibly feel quite a bit better than you do right now:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/AEFZWKWLMO/29122009_020_Wad_Eider.mp3

I first ran into "eider" as a little kid, reading Andersen's fairy tales. The Princess felt the pea, I think, straight through eiderdown "beds" on top of mattresses.

R. Fellner has a wonderful shot of spectacled eiders here:
http://www.harteman.nl/omnibus/anseriformes/ducks/spectacled-eider.html

Common eiders are inordinately cool too, as in this picture:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Somateria_mollissima_male..jpg).

Eastern Screech-Owl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Screech_Owl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Screech_Owl)

Egret
A medium to large heron of shallow salt water, the Reddish Egret comes in a dark and a white form. It is a very active forager, often seen running, jumping, and spinning in its pursuit of fish.

White Egret. I actually took this pic when I was in Fla. Sometimes I do something right.  :D

Nice pic Donna!  :flash:   I believe this is an immature Great Egret.  :clap:

 :thumbsup: I like your pics very much Aafke! :flash: Thanks! ;D

Is this the same kind of Owl as the Pot Plant Owl in Africam.com ?

Egretta Garzetta (Little Egret)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Egret

This one just was behaving as though he'd been hanging out with pot plants.
Those are indeed Eagle Owls, but, I believe, "Spotted" Eagle Owls.
Is that the same as African?
I just loved the way this guy was stalking around.

It is...from their blog...

Pot Plant Owl

    * Location: Johannesburg : Gauteng : South Africa

About Me

I am a Spotted Eagle Owl that nests in a pot plant on the balcony of a house in Johannesburg, South Africa. My nesting season is August - December.

E is for Evening Grosbeak

Large, stocky finch, bright yellow back, rump, and underparts. Head is brown with heavy, pale bill; bright yellow eyebrows extend onto forehead. Dark wings with bold white secondary patches; dark tail. Feeds on insects, buds, sap, seeds, fruits and berries. Swift bounding flight. [http://www.whatbird.com]

I remember these beautiful birds from my childhood spent down near Lake Erie.  They loved the berries and fruit on our trees out back of the house and were fairly bold, so I could sit on the back steps and watch them, without disturbing them.  Good Summer memories!

Anne in Toronto

E is for Eastern Towhee...this photo I took in Rhode Island; it's a male and female pair.  The female is in front, with the browner coloring, while the male's head is very black.

And this tiny owl is an Elf Owl; he was nesting in a hole in a saguaro cactus in a pretty city desert park in Tuscon Arizona.  Our guide managed to catch him as he left his nest hole in the evening and hit him with the spotlight.

And one more entry...this is the back side of an Elegant Trogon; I'm very good at taking photos of the backs of birds.  This bird was in the mountains of Southern Arizona; very near the Mexican border.

E is for Elf Owl



The Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is a member of the owl family Strigidae that breeds in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is the world's smallest owl, followed closely by the Pygmy owl.[2] They are 5-12 inches tall and have a wingspan of 15-16 inches and short tails. Their primary projection extends nearly past their tail. They have fairly long legs and often appear bow-legged. They weigh 1-1.4 ounces.They can often be heard just after dusk or at sunset, calling to each other. Their call is a high pitched whinny or chuckle. The male and female dart around trees and call back and forth.

E is for Emu: , Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is also the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three extant subspecies of Emus in Australia. The Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest, and arid areas.

The soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds reach up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height.

Elegant Tern

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegant_Tern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegant_Tern)

E is for Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird: Small thrush with bright blue upperparts, rust-brown throat and breast, and white belly and vent. Forages in the open from low branches for insects, earthworms, and spiders. Eats mostly berries and seeds in winter. Slow, direct flight with shallow, jerky wing beats. [whatbird.com]

I've only seen a couple of these beautiful little birds, but one never forgets the experience.  They are a cheerful addition to the landscape!  A joy to watch!

Anne in Toronto

Except for the Mad Bluebird!

E European Goldfinch

http://www2.abc.net.au/science/birds/asp/query.asp?Action=Display&id=132

greetings Carla

Eagle Owl

The Giant Eagle Owl, or Verroux's Owl is the largest owl in Africa.  It may stand 30 inches tall and have a wing span of six feet.  It has pink eyelids!  We had a good, long look at one on WildEarth' evening safari:  http://www.wildearth.tv/safari-tv

These are screen captures from there.

Gayle

Eider

I suppose my fascination with eiders also sprang from knowing about down comforters.  I remember my sheer joy at spotting eiders from a car ferry in the North Sea!

The down is harvested for commercial purposes in several northern countries.  The eiders pull out their own down to line their nests and the down is gathered when the ducklings leave the nests.

In Iceland, hay is substituted for the down at the time eggs are laid.  It is said that eiders prefer to nest near humans to provide protection from the main predator, the Arctic fox.

The King Eider is reported to migrate in huge flocks numbering in the thousands.

Gayle

Only place I've ever seen a blue bird was Genesee Country village. They have several nest boxes.

Eagle

Each year, hundreds of bald eagles winter in the Klamath Basin on the interior border between California and Oregon.  The eagles are there to feed on the thousands of tundra swans and other waterfowl that also over-winter there.  The Klamath River is a river under siege for water rights.  Native Americans are protecting their rights to fish for salmon.  Agriculture is thirsty for water for crops.   Wildlife needs the annual flooding of the vast wetlands.

The eagles roost collectively in huge trees.  Morning fly-out is spectacular.

The fourth picture shows an eagle flying over a large flock of tundra swans looking for its next meal.

Gayle

Note:  You will have to click on the first three images to see them.

E is for Eastern Meadowlark

Eastern Meadowlark: Short ground-dwelling bird with buff- and black-streaked brown upperparts. Head has black-and-white striped crown, white face, black eyestripe and a pointed bill. Throat to belly is yellow, broad black V on breast. Brown tail has white edges and undertail coverts.  [whatbird.com]

I used to see more of these wonderful singers than I have for a while now!  I'm sure they are still out in the country!  Not too many meadows in downtown Toronto!

I see in whatbird.com, that a male Eastern Meadowlark typically has two mates at a time, and on rare occasion, three.
NO WONDER HE IS SINGING!!  :hysterical:

Anne in Toronto

Eagle, Martial

Dale,  Here is another juvenile martial eagle.  When mature, the white underparts will have back spots.

A screen shot from safari.tv in South Africa

Gayle

Here's a great pic of a Martial Eagle.

E is for Espanola Mockingbird...this is a mockingbird that only lives one place: on the island of Espanola in the Galapagos.  We took both of these photos there.  The second photo illustrates the fact that Galapagos birds are very tame, since the islands are free of land predators (including humans, until fairly recently, in evolutionary time).

I may not have much to share, but I really am enjoying this!  So many birds...so little time!

The second photo is priceless, Patti!!  Nice catch!
Anne in Toronto

    E is for Eastern Starling

European Starling: Small, chunky, iridescent purple and green blackbird with long, pointed yellow bill, pink legs, and short tail. The feathers on back and undertail show buff edges. Feeds in open areas, normally on the ground. Strong, direct and swift flight on rapidly beating wings.  [whatbird.com]


I always love the iridescent on their backs!  Especially in full sunlight!  We didn't have many Starlings this year...  Not sure why.  I missed their racket at 5am in the morning!  No really!  I couldn't get back to sleep it was sooooo quiet! I can tell you that the Sparrows were happy -- no Startlings to fight with over food and dust bathes!

Anne in Toronto 

I have also seen the Reddish Egret hunting for fish  while still with its wings outstreched in something of a mantling postion.

Gayle

Patti - you're looking at that mockingbird as if you trust it not at all!

Anne - that's the prettiest starling photo I've ever seen...Mine are too busy perfecting their cell phone imitations to dress up like that!

Bluebirds leave me speechless.

Yes, I think I was half expecting it to start a conversation after it approached me so aggressively!

Patti

The starling was headed for a formal function, so put on his best plumage!
The bluebird has to be one of my all time favourites!  Hard to believe they are real live little beings!
Anne in Toronto