I thought that as migratory birds, sandhill cranes were protected. A couple of years ago, I was surprised to learn that the federal government allows states to authorize the hunting of these birds, and that - because of the texture/quality of their meat - some people refer to sandhill crane as "the ribeye of the sky."fierceredpanda wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:09 am Mrs. FRP and I heard the Song of Destruction this morning, which means that our resident dinosaurs (a/k/a, the group of sandhill cranes that spend the warmer months in the industrial park adjacent to our home) have returned. No pictures yet, but they're making themselves heard. One morning last year, they literally walked out in front of my car as I drove through the park and stared me down while crossing the road.
Birding
Re: Birding
Re: Birding
Waterfowl, such as ducks and geese, are migratory, but allowed to be hunted. Sandhill cranes are allowed to be hunted but states which allow them to be hunted almost always require a special permit because Whooping Cranes are also found with Sandhills, and you MUST be able to differentiate between Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes.jcolvin2 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:57 pm
I thought that as migratory birds, sandhill cranes were protected. A couple of years ago, I was surprised to learn that the federal government allows states to authorize the hunting of these birds, and that - because of the texture/quality of their meat - some people refer to sandhill crane as "the ribeye of the sky."
Washington State does not allow the hunting of Sandhill Cranes due to their low numbers and low rate of reproductivity. Most of the states which allow hunting of Sandhills are in the Central Flyway (except for Nebraska, which does not allow hunting of Sandhills).
Re: Birding
I was raised in South Texas. I remember going to see th e then critically endangered whooping cranes along the lower Arkansas river. It was quite a sight.Azastan wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:11 pm Sandhill cranes are allowed to be hunted but states which allow them to be hunted almost always require a special permit because Whooping Cranes are also found with Sandhills, and you MUST be able to differentiate between Whooping Cranes and Sandhill Cranes.
Washington State does not allow the hunting of Sandhill Cranes due to their low numbers and low rate of reproductivity. Most of the states which allow hunting of Sandhills are in the Central Flyway (except for Nebraska, which does not allow hunting of Sandhills).
Oddly enough, the Seattle Zoo has a nice collection of various Asian cranes. They are housed near the (fierce?) red pandas.
- pipistrelle
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Re: Birding
I was looking for videos of sandhill cranes because someone wanted to know what they sound like. Amongst the results are a series from someone in TX who regularly hunts them, with the preview often a pile of dead sandhill cranes. Unreal.jcolvin2 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:57 pm I thought that as migratory birds, sandhill cranes were protected. A couple of years ago, I was surprised to learn that the federal government allows states to authorize the hunting of these birds, and that - because of the texture/quality of their meat - some people refer to sandhill crane as "the ribeye of the sky."
- northland10
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Re: Birding
The Middlefork Savannah Forest Preserve not far from where I live has sandhill cranes and has the occasional sighting of migrating whooping cranes, among other things. I once saw a bobcat when the train I was on was passing by the preserve.pipistrelle wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:34 amI was looking for videos of sandhill cranes because someone wanted to know what they sound like. Amongst the results are a series from someone in TX who regularly hunts them, with the preview often a pile of dead sandhill cranes. Unreal.jcolvin2 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:57 pm I thought that as migratory birds, sandhill cranes were protected. A couple of years ago, I was surprised to learn that the federal government allows states to authorize the hunting of these birds, and that - because of the texture/quality of their meat - some people refer to sandhill crane as "the ribeye of the sky."
101010
Re: Birding
Sounds like a plan! Unfortunately, the Nocturnal House still hasn't been replaced. That was my favourite part of the zoo.
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The Zoo is currently running at 25% capacity, and many of the exhibits with indoor components or tight quarters (especially birds and reptiles) are closed. If these restrictions are still in place in August, I would recommend obtaining reservations on the Woodland Park Zoo website beforehand.
I don't think Woodland Park is planning to replace the Nocturnal House. While it was one of my kids' favorite sections of the the Zoo, I think the decision was made that it was too expensive to run going forward.
I just noticed that autocorrect apparently turned the Aransas River into the Arkansas River in my prior post. Different worlds.
Re: Birding
Another thing that avid birders may want to do on a trip to Western Washington is to take the North Cascade highway (US 20) up along the Skagit River. There is a large population of bald eagles.
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Re: Birding
Here in Central Southern England, we frequently have magnificent Red Kites cruising around. These birds had almost disappeared in the UK by the 1980s, due to many factors including the stealing of eggs. From 1989 onwards a long-running programme of reintroducing birds from Spain and Sweden was started, and it has been so successful there are now estimated to be around 4,600 pairs here.
We often have fun by putting out the remains of a chicken carcass, and watch as the Kites at first cautiously circle around at altitude, then make a swoop for the morsels. Surprisingly, they are not terribly good at this, and it frequently takes several runs before they manage to pick up their prize and make off with it.
We often have fun by putting out the remains of a chicken carcass, and watch as the Kites at first cautiously circle around at altitude, then make a swoop for the morsels. Surprisingly, they are not terribly good at this, and it frequently takes several runs before they manage to pick up their prize and make off with it.
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They are beautiful birds!
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
Re: Birding
https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... gbirds-hum
Hummingbirds might be instantly recognisable from their eponymous sound, but the cause of the characteristic has long been a mystery.
Now researchers say they have cracked the conundrum, finally taking the “hmm?” out of hummingbirds.
David Lentink, the assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University and a co-author of the research, says that while the hum was known to be linked to the movement of the wings, it was previously unclear what exactly was behind the sound. Pressure changes generated by the flapping, vortices in the air flow, and whistling sounds from the feathers themselves were all among the possibilities.
Now it seems the answer predominately lies in the aerodynamic forces, and hence pressure changes, produced as the wings move.
“This alone is enough to really understand what the main source of the hum is,” said Lentink.
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
Re: Birding
I got to see them in Wales. That was a lovely trip, as I got to see a Eurasian Kingfisher as well!Eaststander wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:17 pm Here in Central Southern England, we frequently have magnificent Red Kites cruising around. These birds had almost disappeared in the UK by the 1980s...
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Re: Birding
I frequently drive over the Hogs Back (a ridge forming part of the South Downs) and there are usually one or more Kites circling. There appear to be other hawk species in the area but they are difficult to identify, although some are definitely Kestrels. I’m going to crash one day.
If you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?
- pipistrelle
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Re: Birding
And the kites are waiting for that very moment.Uninformed wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:37 pm I frequently drive over the Hogs Back (a ridge forming part of the South Downs) and there are usually one or more Kites circling. There appear to be other hawk species in the area but they are difficult to identify, although some are definitely Kestrels. I’m going to crash one day.
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My father, who grew up at the very edge of Chat Moss, was very enthusiastic in his on-the-go bird identification, and there were more than a few times that we feared for our lives when he would get distracted by 'oh, see that California Thrasher there!?', or 'there's California quail under that shrub there'. He did a lot of pointing.Uninformed wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:37 pm I frequently drive over the Hogs Back (a ridge forming part of the South Downs) and there are usually one or more Kites circling. There appear to be other hawk species in the area but they are difficult to identify, although some are definitely Kestrels. I’m going to crash one day.
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Re: Birding
Buzzards and Kites look very similar from a distance except the Kite’s tail is forked, and the Buzzard’s is like a fan. And yes Uninformed, I have seen Kites pick up roadkill!Uninformed wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:37 pm I frequently drive over the Hogs Back (a ridge forming part of the South Downs) and there are usually one or more Kites circling. There appear to be other hawk species in the area but they are difficult to identify, although some are definitely Kestrels. I’m going to crash one day.
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Re: Birding
That’s a bit disconcerting. I already know that dogs, cats, and horses have my measure, now it’s birds.pipistrelle wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:07 pmAnd the kites are waiting for that very moment.Uninformed wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:37 pm I frequently drive over the Hogs Back (a ridge forming part of the South Downs) and there are usually one or more Kites circling. There appear to be other hawk species in the area but they are difficult to identify, although some are definitely Kestrels. I’m going to crash one day.
If you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?
Re: Birding
That is an awesome place for birdwatching.northland10 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:48 am The Middlefork Savannah Forest Preserve not far from where I live has sandhill cranes and has the occasional sighting of migrating whooping cranes, among other things. I once saw a bobcat when the train I was on was passing by the preserve.
I've seen Sandhills, northern flickers, green herons, Bob whites, bluebirds, orioles, and so on there.
Last time, we saw mink.
- northland10
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Re: Birding
I do need to get back out there. I am sometimes amazed at the difference in what you see at the Lake Bluff Train station versus what I get here. It may be that the area is a bit less built than up where I am. I see blue jays there but never see them at my place (only 6 miles away). I have also seen a scarlet tanager there once. One spring, the was a barn swallow nest under the roof of the train platform. We watched for a couple weeks while the parents would feed the little ones and they would grow bigger until the number of little ones trickled down to nothing.Chilidog wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 5:39 pmThat is an awesome place for birdwatching.northland10 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 8:48 am The Middlefork Savannah Forest Preserve not far from where I live has sandhill cranes and has the occasional sighting of migrating whooping cranes, among other things. I once saw a bobcat when the train I was on was passing by the preserve.
I've seen Sandhills, northern flickers, green herons, Bob whites, bluebirds, orioles, and so on there.
Last time, we saw mink.
101010
- fierceredpanda
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Re: Birding
Success! The sandies were calling just outside my den window this morning as I was getting ready for Zoom hearings.
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"There's no play here. There's no angle. There's no champagne room. I'm not a miracle worker, I'm a janitor. The math on this is simple. The smaller the mess, the easier it is for me to clean up." -Michael Clayton
Re: Birding
Nice shot!
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
Re: Birding
https://www.wtae.com/article/the-eagle- ... h/35910199PITTSBURGH —
A new bald eagle was born in the City of Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
The Audubon Society confirmed the Hays bald eagles welcomed an eaglet just after three this morning.
The eaglet is the first to come from the three eggs the Hays eagles laid this year.
The second one hatched during the night last night. That makes H13 and H14 for this pair. One more to go.
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler