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Got birds of prey?


sputnik

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Yeah, it's fun to wake up every mornnig and see something happening in the nest. Just over the last few days, the babies have been quite active, stretching their wings, screaching, hopping out onto adjacent limbs, and tearing away at the nest. Their plumage and overall appearance is getting pretty adult-like. The adults just come by to drop off food now and then. Right now, their whole world is the nest but it won't be long before they're soaring overhead.

Here's a group shot of the triplets.

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Do Loons count

If Loons count I will put some pictures of family members ? I don't have but one bird pic, great pictures birds are not easy to photograph.

If everyone would not mind put the length of the lens so we can get an idea how far away you were, please.

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Great pictures, how far away are you in that pic ?

Since some of you know birds what is this, it lives on a cruise ship that goes back and forth to Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Carmen, from the US. Thats about all I know except it flies with another one around and alongside the ship and had a nest in the tall tower looking thing where the exhaust pipe is for the ship is ? 135mm digital

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Hey dtel, I'm taking most of the pictures from our bedroom window and the nest is maybe 100 feet away or so. I broke my digital slr (I have a Nikon D700 on the way) so I'm just using a Nikon Coolpix P80 handheld (with VR on) and zoomed out to about 450mm optical. I'm cropping the images a bit too. Hope to get the new slr soon.

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The story with the bat picture is. We went out to the barn to let the horses out and we opened the sliding barn door and BOO the bat fell out. I assume he or she was hanging, sleeping between the door and the barn. Well, he landed on the ground and stayed there long enough for Caroline to run to the house and get the camera. I took the picture no zoom, I was just standing over him. I touched him with my boot and he spread his wings and opened his mouth making for a great picture IMO.

Mark,

Caroline said those are some great pictures and that you should get ahold of your state parks and wildlife and see if they would like to have a copy of the pictures (that is if your willing to share them) They could use them to show kids how the baby birds grow.

Steve

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I have a huge red tail that has been hanging out around the house. The other day he caught a rat behind the storage building. He flew up to the telephone wire and ate it in a matter of a couple of minutes. My wife, my 16 year old son and I watched him devour the rat from 50 yards away through several pairs of Swarovski binoculars. What spectacular expierence to watch. For some reason this one apears to have absoutely fear of man. Pays little attention to us. Middle of the city.

I have hunted high up in trees heavily camoflauged for a number of years -climbing up 30-40 feet hours before dawn on many occasions. I have falled asleep and woke up with great horned owls staring me in the face from 2 feet away trying to figure out what I was. I had a hawk try to light on the barrel of my rifle one time. Try that one for a rush sometime. Many encounters with birds of prey. They are some of the most facinating, coolest creatures that nature has to offer. Once near extinction, they are making a heck of a comeback. Nature's perfect predator.

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I have a bunch of barred owls in the woods around my house. It's great to hear them talking back and forth at night. I've seen them early in the morning, but it's hard to find them to get pics once the sun is up. Red tails are in the area too, and usually a family of turkeys grows up through the summer and wanders through the yard.

Hey Mark, you feeling recovered from your accident or still got some healing going on?

Bruce

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Hey Bruce, thanks for asking - I'm getting around much better but I've been working up north and I havn't been able to get to the PT clinic at all this summer and put on a bunch of pounds from inactivity. Looks like I'll always have some slight numbness in my lower legs and I may have a limp but I consider myself dang lucky to be alive and getting on with life thanks largely to my wife.

These hawks are pretty special to us. As some here may know, I wrecked real bad in the fall of '07. I crunched my motorcycle and my pelvis (among a few other things.) I was laid up through the spring of '08 but at least I was in a perfect place with nothing to do but watch the hawks from the bedroom window as they rebuilt the nest and raised two little ones. I was able to get around on my own again about the same time they left the nest last year. Sounds corny, but it was amazing and uplifting to watch all four of them soaring together through the summer.

Hey Proffesor Thump, when did you live here - maybe we crossed paths at some point?

Anyway, the new camera got here yesterday and the hawks have been moving out of the nest. They'll sit on the limbs and preen and practice flapping - pre-flight checklist. We're thinking they'll be flying to other trees soon. I'm glad I'll be home for a few days.

This morning they were already lining up for the parade and fireworks

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Hey look, no hands

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Front and back plumage

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Preening and attempted larceny

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Wing Flapping 101

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Check out that talon - look out rodents

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