Album Birds: Raptors from Janet Brien

246/365: "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." ~ James Dean

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 04:11:34 +0000

6 more pictures in notes above!

This morning I let the dogs out as usual and got their breakfast ready before calling them back inside. Only, when I opened the door, there were no dogs waiting for me. I called. No dogs. I yelled. No dogs. I took Pumpkin (my parrot) back upstairs and put her in her cage, and went out and went looking for the dogs, calling the whole time. Where could they be? I had my suspicions. Molly, our Border Collie, was the one who got them into mischief. It's always been something very stinky and very dead. I was not amused. After going around our lower forest and making my way up to our granite valley, I suddenly found Zoe, our Boxer, charging gayly in my direction, followed by Moosie, our Basset. But no Molly. "Oh no," I moaned, "She's found something reeking and dead to roll in...please don't be that!!" We got back to the house and still no sign of Molly. I went around back and yelled again, and there she was at the edge of the meadow, making her way at an easy 3-legged lope with tail high. When she got to the house, I was very happy to find that she didn't stink! Hardly any burrs...but...oh Molly...she'd been eating something that was freshly dead, so I washed the blood off her face and feet and let her into the house. Looking out back, I saw some vultures flying around and then land near the place I saw Molly running back from. I thought I'd go take a look after lunch.

I went with my camera, not to take any pictures of something gruesome, but hopefully to get pictures of the vultures. And WOW, did I ever!! My best pictures of vultures yet!! I walked slowly over to the place where the dead animal was and the vultures flew close enough that I could take many pictures. It turned out to be a young deer, probably hit by a car and died where it lay. Almost all of it was gone, so though it was sad that it died, its death meant that many animals were fed...including Molly! We have coyotes, bobcats, foxes, feral cats, and though I don't think any are right here, there are cougars and bears in our county too. I love living in this wild place, but it's not always kind and I no longer get so angry when an animal is hit by a car because there are so many hungry animals that need to eat. At least their death helps others to live.

James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark. The other two roles that defined his stardom were as loner Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955), and as the surly ranch hand, Jett Rink, in Giant (1956). Dean's enduring fame and popularity rests on his performances in only these three films, all leading roles. His premature death in a car crash cemented his legendary status.Wikipedia: James Dean

Explored on September 4, 2013. Highest placement, page 2.

Turkey Vulture Cruising Over Our Meadow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 04:11:27 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

4 pictures above in notes! (one of them was one I took a while ago, it's clickable)

I was delighted that these birds flew close enough that I could get nice pictures with my 100mm lens!

This text is from another picture I posted of a Turkey Vulture:

Turkey Vultures are found all over North and South America, from Canada to the southern tip of Chile. They are scavengers and eat carrion exclusively, using their keen eyesight and sense of smell to find their prey. This bird has no ability to sing and call like other birds, and can only grunt or hiss! Turkey vultures raise a pair of chicks in the months between March and August depending on latitude (Here they raise babies between March and June).

If you would like to know more about Turkey Vultures, Wiki has an extensive page here: Wiki: Turkey Vulture {Cathartes aura}

San Francisco Zoo: Bald Eagle

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:41:14 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

At the zoo, there is a wonderful island surrounded by a beautiful pond, which is, in turn, bordered by a lovely, expansive lawn. On this island live two gorgeous Bald Eagles! They are both injured and will never fly again, but instead, have a loving, forever home where nobody can bother them and they can enjoy the outdoors in contented bliss. I was thunderstruck to see this eagle and its companion, as I have never seen one since I became interested in photography, and I've been wanting to see these birds forever! I couldn't get over how amazingly beautiful these birds are!!

Here is text from the San Francisco Zoo website that tells more about their eagles and the wonderful conservation efforts they've helped so much with:

For over twenty years, the San Francisco Zoo has helped to conserve bald eagles, maintaining the largest captive breeding and release program in the country. Even though the species is not officially endangered any longer, the Zoo’s off-exhibit captive breeding facility for bald eagles is still home to two pairs of bald eagles. Since 1991, the Bald Eagle Recovery Program, in conjunction with the Wildlife Institute, has released over 95 eagles to sites in central and southern California, as well as Tennessee. The Zoo initiated its California Bald Eagle Breeding Program in 1985 to help with the recovery of the state's bald eagle breeding population, which had declined from a historic high of approximately 400 pairs to fewer than 35 pairs in the 1970’s.

Live Eagle Nest Cam! During breeding season, you can watch the Catalina Island eagles at the West End nest via live webcam! Visit www.iws.org and select "Eagle Nest Cam" from "Interactive" on the menu.

The Bald Eagle Recovery Program is headquartered at the Zoo's off-exhibit facility, the Avian Conservation Center. San Francisco Zoo houses three rescued eagles, injured in the wild and incapable of being re-released. You might see one of our rescued bald eagles on Eagle Island near the bear exhibits, or meet one of our eagle ambassadors at a special event, or on a walk through the Zoo with a handler. www.sfzoo.org/baldeagle

The Majestic Red-Tailed Hawk

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:02:26 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Yesterday was a lucky day for flying birds! I got a wonderful image of the turkey vulture I shared yesterday, and I also got several pictures of a pair of Red-Tailed Hawks that were circling on the thermals along the ridge line. I was delighted when they flew close enough to get some reasonable pictures!

If you would like to know more about Red-Tailed Hawks, Wiki has a super page here: Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Hawk in Flight

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:51:32 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

While we were walking around one edge of the Upper Table Rock, I saw a hawk flying by, and I managed to get this picture! Not sure what kind it is though!

It's A Bird...It's a Plane! Wait. No, it's SUPERBIRD!!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:57:09 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Talk about a funny position!! I managed to get this picture just as the Sharp-Shin spotted something and took off like a bullet! All it needs is a cape!

58/365: "It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ~ Charles Darwin [Explore]

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:57:27 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This afternoon I came downstairs with Pumpkin (my parrot) and I saw a flash of something out the kitchen window. A tiny Sharp-Shinned Hawk had just landed on one of our plant hooks, hoping for a finch or junco to fly up to one of our bird feeders for a snack. My camera was right there so I grabbed it and started taking pictures while Pumpkin proceeded to crawl from my hand up to my shoulder and down the other arm to my camera...silly bird! After about a minute the hawk flew off and it was then I realized to my horror that I'd left the ISO at 1000 from this morning!! I was taking pictures of the sunrise and needed the higher ISO because I didn't have time to set up a tri-pod...and I didn't set it back. DRAT AND BLOODY H...well you get the drift! When I looked up, the hawk was back again! However, this time it was on a pole about 20 feet further away. I lowered my ISO and got a bunch of pictures, but when I compared all the shots on my computer, the best pair were with the high ISO...go figure!

Anyway, I had to deal with a lot of noise and you'll see it in the wings, but I was able to alleviate most of it. This picture is another example of having a separate layer for the bird and another for the background. The background is smooth and noise-free and has only a bit of tint in it with soft vignetting. The bird has only as much noise reduction as I could get away with before I started losing too much detail. I then applied a light detail filter.

Charles Robert Darwin, (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. Wikipedia: Charles Darwin

Explored on Flickr on February 27, 2013. Highest position: #85.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Hoping for an Easy Lunch Ticket

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 03:58:33 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

My alternate is from lunchtime today! Steve was making sandwiches when he saw this beauty land on one of our bird feeders. It stayed long enough for me to grab my camera and take some pictures! I wished I had time to use the 300mm lens and tripod but at least I got this one! :)

The Cycle of Life

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 04:41:20 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I deeply apologize if any of the images in this collage offend or disturb you. It is my wish to educate, not to disgust or horrify any of you. *bows head in respect*

I have posted a couple of pictures in the past of one of the Cooper's Hawks that live in our area, and about once a week we'll find one on one of our bird feeders or our porch railing, hoping for a bird to fly into its beak! (By the way, I originally incorrectly identified this bird as a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. It is actually a Cooper's Hawk! Thank you Paul Hauber for your keen eye! :D Now that I think about it, it's definitely larger than the diminuative, but similar-looking Sharpie! :) To illustrate why it's easy to confuse these two birds, take a look at this wonderful picture from Wiki! Side-by-side comparative illustrations of a Cooper's and a Sharp-Shinned Hawk..) I'd also like to give thanks to the gang over at BirdForum, who are always so fast and helpful with identification and confirmation!

On this day, I came downstairs first thing in the morning and found a Sharp-Shin content and happy near a feeder, and you can see one of the pictures I took on the upper left of this collage. In the afternoon, I went into the kitchen for a snack and did a double-take...the Sharp-Shin was back, and to my amazement, it had a catch on top of the feeder! As I quietly took pictures, I realized that it caught a vole or mouse, not a bird! That actually made us feel better because we dearly love our avian friends who visit every day!

The upper right and lower left show the hawk eating its meal, and finally, on the lower right, the last of the vole has disappeared down the hawk's throat and it took off just a second later.

I hope that this collage isn't too disturbing to see. It shows the cycle of life and is a reminder that just outside, it's a very dangerous place for the small animals that live here. At the same time, it is an incredible thing to witness the cycle of life taking place before our eyes. This experience was amazing to me and I feel so lucky to have gotten pictures too. I've always wanted to live in the country side, next to wilderness and near animals I would never see in a city. I love to watch the animals here and see how they behave. It's very special to be in a place where you get the chance to see the joy of new life, and although it's very sad for the vole, it was fascinating to witness this successful kill and to imagine the possible baby chicks this meal would help to feed! :)

If you would like to know more about Cooper's Hawks, you can find a great source of information here: Wiki: Cooper's Hawk.If you would like to know more about Sharp-Shinned Hawks, you can find a great source of information here: Wiki: Sharp-Shinned Hawk.

This image was taken in April, 2012.

Super Fluffy Cooper's Hawk on our Bird Bath!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:52:24 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

[best appreciated at full size against black]

Steve and I are incredibly fortunate to live in such a lovely area of southern Oregon. We live about 25 minutes from the nearest town and there are perhaps 50 people in a mile radius from our house. It is very rural, very wild, and very close to nature here, and that means we get visits from many wild animals that stay away from urban areas.

This beautiful raptor is one of the several birds of prey in our area and every once in a while, a Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned Hawk will land on one of our bird feeders, our deck, or, as illustrated by my beautiful model, our bird bath! Steve and I are always amused at these silly birds. Do they actually think a bird will just fly into their beak? :D It's always a ghost town around here after the raptor flies away...for about five minutes, that is! Then it's back to little birdies yelling at each other about the best spot for eating, birds getting back to flinging seeds merrily to the doves on the ground below, and happiness returns! And if we're lucky, Steve or I will have gotten a picture like this to share with all of you! :) If you would like to know more about Sharp-Shinned Hawks, you can find a great source of information here: Wiki: Cooper's Hawk.

This image was taken in March, 2012.

The Awesome Raptor, Meet the Red-Tailed Hawk

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:02:56 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

[best appreciated at full size against black]

If you look out our kitchen window above our sink, you'll see our bird feeders, the beautiful big meadow beyond, and the large Oak tree there, which we have a great fondness for. This tree is a favorite for the birds which live here and visit for the season, and it's also a place where raptors will sometimes land!

A few months ago, I looked out and spotted a large bird on the top branches of the tree. I grabbed my trusty Canon SX30 with its 35X zoom and managed to get this picture!! It's not the best quality, but I thought it was good enough to share with all of you. We feel extremely fortunate to have birds like this viewing our area as their territory, and as you can see, this is a very large bird!!

Breathtaking and huge, the Red-Tailed Hawk measures 18-22" high with a wingspan that reaches 42-56"...that's nearly 4-5 FEET from wingtip to wingtip!!! They are amazing! Females are 25% larger than males, which is how the birds can be sexed. This is a female and we see her flying around about once a month. I saw her this morning, in fact, so I thought it would be the perfect time to post her picture!

These birds are common throughout North and South America and because they have adapted so well to human encroachment on wilderness, can be found everywhere, including cities! In fact, when I was in San Francisco last September, my friend and I were in Golden Gate Park and witnessed a Red-Tailed Hawk dive out of the sky right in front of us and nearly catch a songbird in a nearby tree. It landed in a tree where we watched it for the few seconds it stayed before flying off again. What a truly remarkable bird!

If you would like to know more about Red-Tailed Hawks, Wiki has a super page here: Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

This image was taken in February, 2012.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:51:32 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I looked out the window today and found this gorgeous hawk sitting on one of our feeders. We get to see hawks sitting on our bird feeders fairly often, but usually we don't have time to get pictures. This lovely bird, who I expect we've photographed before, stayed there for many moments and allowed me the time to take many images with the hopes that just one would come out! Happily, I got a few winners and this is my pick! :) It never fails to amuse me that these gorgeous predators seem to think a finch or junco will just fly over to get some seeds while such a menace is lording over the feeders! Within a minute of its departure, a bold junco alighted upon a feeder and began munching away, giving an understoond all-clear signal when it wasn't gobbled by a predator on the wing!

I have 3 pictures in my upload today, I hope you will see them all! :)

Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

This image was taken on Friday, December 30, 2011.

Cooper's Hawk, Hangin' Out and Waitin' For Chow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:14:00 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Looked out the kitchen window yesterday and found this stunning hawk sitting comfortably on top of one of our bird feeders. The focus is a little soft, but at least I got the image before it flew away, low across our meadow.

Osprey in Nest at the Applegate Reservoir, Oregon

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:48:29 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This nest is in a perfect place for picture taking! Located near a pullout across the highway along the Applegate Reservoir and situated at the trailhead to "Bigfoot Trap," we spotted a guy with an enormous camera on a tripod, hanging out and taking images. We were on our way to our hike along the Middle Fork of the Applegate River but at the end of the day we made sure to save enough battery and image space to stop and take pictures of this magnificent creature. My husband had 17 pictures left and a blinking empty battery, and my battery had just enough juice to take a dozen pictures with the hopes that at least one would turn out. I got lucky: 2 were very nice, with others not bad! YAYYYY!!!!

Osprey in Nest at the Applegate Reservoir, Oregon

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:48:19 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Cooper's Hawk

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 27 May 2011 08:11:22 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

hawksinflight

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 27 May 2011 08:04:17 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 27 May 2011 08:03:16 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Photographed near our bird feeders

Sharp-Shinned Hawk in the Snow

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 27 May 2011 08:02:58 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This image was taken by my husband, Steve!

merlin

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 27 May 2011 08:02:55 +0000

Janet Brien has posted: