Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Raptor Fest: 4th Annual 2-4-17 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve




Handsome Eurasian Eagle-owl
Their pumpkin orange eyes and feathery ear tufts make them one of the most striking owls.


These owls are among the world's largest owls, slightly bigger than the Great Horned Owl.



A not-so-handsome Turkey Vulture
Note the large nostrils on the bill.  These birds have an excellent sense of smell and can smell a rotting carcass from a great distance away.


Andean Condor


They have a 10 foot wingspan!


Ferruginous Hawk
Along with the Rough-legged Hawk, these hawks are the only ones in North America to have feathered legs all the way down to their toes.



A hawk of the West


In winter, groups of 5-10 of these hawks will congregate in prairie dog towns, striking prey when it emerges from its burrow.




Harris's Hawk
These beautiful hawks nest in social units that vary from an adult pair, to as many as seven individuals, including both adults and immatures.



Electrocution from unshielded power poles is a definite danger to these hawks - they can be killed or lose limbs - but other members of the group will sometimes come to the aid of injured individuals, providing them with food.





They are known as the "Wolves of the Sky" as they often hunt cooperatively like a pack of wolves.  Several of the "hunters" will soar a thousand or so feet in the air while others in the group act like "beaters" scurrying around in the bush trying to scare prey out from cover.  The hunters will then drop out of the sky and catch the prey (medium-sized mammals like hares, rabbits, ground squirrels, etc)








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