The only raptor I know of with an impressive "scream" is the Red Tailed Hawk. I'd never think of it as "horrific", though.  To me it's one of the best sounds made by anything.

Paul

We hadn't seen Zuzu since last summer.  I figured she had just changed her nightly foraging schedule, perhaps because of a new nest.  There have been a several nights this winter when I saw the feeder swaying as if something had jumped off earlier. 

Yesterday, I put out her favorite flavor of food cake -- beetle.  I'd hoped that this might tempt her to make an earlier visit.  Last night, all three of us got to see her at about 10 PM.

Paul

Thanks!  Cooper's Hawks are such amazing birds -- the way that they fly through trees while hunting and most of all, their sheer intensity.

Paul

I thought it was determined that the whiney tiny tiercel was Zephyr? 

Paul

It seems clear that this Songbird Survival organization (check their website) is very sure that predation, not habitat destruction is the main threat to bird populations.  Most wildlife biologists strongly disagree.

Blaming a reduction in species diversity on crows and magpies gets a lot of real estate developers off the hook.  I'd imagine that Songbird Survival would be a good charity for them to support.

On the other hand it's comforting to blame predators when the real cause is a lot closer to home.


Paul

I think she takes after Mariah more than she does Kaver.  In any case, I like the way the deep blue of her adult feathers looks against the snow.  I've often imagined her against a deep blue Canadian sky, and am delighted to have that image become real.

Paul

My wife, Mary was delighted when I sent her the link for the Coopers Hawk at the Library of Congress.  She decided that the National Archives should do its own "creature feature"  Here is her latest blog:

http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=3517

She suspects that there are a lot of good pictures of White House squirrels and invites you to use the new search engine to explore American history, with and without squirrels

Paul

A redtail joined us early this morning, perching in our backyard, in a tree glazed with last night's ice storm.  He stayed around for at least a half hour.

Paul

I'll bet Pieces of History has something about this, if Paul is reading and if Mary is so inclined to point it out to us.   

I mentioned this to Mary during dinner.  She will have a look, but Pieces of History is based upon US National Archives materials, and a lot of the memorials at Gettysburg were placed there by private organizations.  I'll keep you informed if she can find any records.

Paul

Great pictures, Joyce! 

I see they still have the netting up around the playpen to block the old nest site on Kodak.  Sigh!

And my take on the interactions between Beauty & her friend...he's behaving more like a juvie than an adult.  And she's behaving more like a mother than a mate.  He's happy enough to grab a free meal and a few lessons in urban peregrine life.  She won't chase him away just yet, just in case.

Ei

Sounds like Zephyr and Mariah all over again.

Paul

Maybe some international cooperation on the ecology of the Griffon Vulture will come out of this.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article230917.ece

Paul

Thanks, Ei!

Looking at the chart, it's amazing how the falcon relationships connect the US and Canada and the Northeast and the Midwest.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
John Muir

Paul

Quite a surprise!

Paul

Z is for Zenaida Dove.  I'm not sure which specise, but this guy turned up on Ocracoke Island on Labor Day weekend, right after the hurricane.  It seemed tired and disoriented, but glad to have found an island.  Anyone recognize the species?

Paul