My Backyard Visitor...Information Please!

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

03/27/2006 06:32:35 AM · #1

This bird and I have a disagreement. This is one of many of this species that come and annoy me. I can be standing right beneath him with only about a meters distance between us and have the hose turned on him and he will just look at me. Our argument has been ongoing now for about two years. We often have up to 30 of these birds hovering overhead because of our aviaries but this one seems to be very determined and brave.

So this time I decided to shoot him with my lens. And thought you may like to see him.

He is about 50cm in length and about a meter across his wing span. I presume he is a Red Goshawk. If you know any more about this species please let me know.

These two images are straight from the camera apart from resize.

dpdave

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

03/27/2006 08:24:18 AM · #2

He looks fairly similar to this fellow I met in Sicily. Next time you see each other, ask if there are relatives in Europe.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/27/2006 08:25:35 AM · #3

03/27/2006 08:26:04 AM · #4

Hehehe...I might just do that...I expect to see him again in the next couple of days.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/27/2006 08:26:29 AM · #5

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:

Hahahaha...wrong type of shooting. LMAO!!

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

03/27/2006 08:32:01 AM · #6

I had to put a rubber snake on our outside window ledge to keep annoying birds off it.

vikas

Apple iPhone 13

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

03/27/2006 08:32:28 AM · #7

have up to 30 of these birds hovering overhead

do you have a harry potter in the house ? ;)

Beautiful shot!

Leica 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario Elmar-T ASPH

03/27/2006 08:34:41 AM · #8

Originally posted by vikas:

have up to 30 of these birds hovering overhead

do you have a harry potter in the house ? ;)

Beautiful shot!

Hahaha...well if you remember my image below...then yes maybe we do. My son was given the nickname of Harry Potter. LOL!!

MAK

Leica CL

03/27/2006 08:50:50 AM · #9

Looks like a Kestral Hawk to me... but what do I know about birds.

Great shot though, its hard to get a good focused shot of a bird

eschelar

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

03/27/2006 09:23:33 AM · #10

Well, there is always the barbecue... Don't know if it would be really good eating, but...

Are you concerned that it will somehow get into your aviaries? Maybe an extra layer of chicken wire on the outside?

Seems a shame that such a beautiful bird should behave in such a way to risk it's own life in this way.

I've occasionally used a broomstick pointed like a gun to see if birds are gunshy. If not, you might have an easy picker...

What are local laws like on the birds? I wonder if there is a local game and hunting board that might be able to help you identify the bird and find out if it's legal to pull a Cheney on it...

In Canada where I come from, I believe it's not permitted to kill seagulls. A past friend of mine told me that when he worked at a fishery, this got them to devise some rather unpleasant ways to dispose of pesky gulls that sent them under the water permanently.

Not something I'd recommend legally or ethically of course.

hahn23

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS II USM Lens

03/27/2006 09:42:12 AM · #11

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus, nicknamed "sharpshins" or "sharpies" by birders, belong to a group of woodland hawks called accipiters. Adapted to life among the trees, they have short, rounded wings and long, banded tails. Sharpies are bird-eaters and have discovered backyard bird feeders to be a productive hunting grounds, much to the horror of many homeowners. Their flight pattern is a series of short flaps followed by a glide. The sharpie's tail is squared at the bottom, not rounded like a Cooper's Hawk.

Source: The Guide to Colorado Birds by Mary Taylor Gray

The Goshawk is more blueish grey and eats mostly mammals. Your bird is most likely a "Sharpie".

Message edited by author 2006-03-27 09:44:38.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/27/2006 04:24:21 PM · #12

Originally posted by eschelar:

We actually have a deterrent that really works. In the image with the green foliage background you can see he is sitting on a perch with a string hanging off it. This usually has a metal black cat shape with marbles for eyes. This flaps around in the breeze and keeps the large birds at bay. Unfortunately due to weather this can sometimes break away and that is when this bird comes to visit. We have a few hundred birds and whilst he has the ability to rip the snake mesh open, he hasn't. Instead he mainly frightens the birds which causes them to fly into the wire and break their necks.

Originally posted by hahn23:

Alionic....we also call them Kestrels, but when we tried to find information on them we came up with zilch.

The Goshawk is generally blue grey but there is one species called the Red Goshawk that seems to fit this bird but is apparently rare...which is why we are confused.

Also this bird is in Central Queensland, Australia.

Message edited by author 2006-03-27 16:25:23.

Artifacts

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

03/27/2006 04:35:45 PM · #13

Originally posted by Judi:

He is about 50cm in length and about a meter across his wing span. I presume he is a Red Goshawk. If you know any more about this species please let me know.

It would be neat if this were a Red Goshawk.
Red Goshawk

It says those are among the rarest birds of prey on Earth and range only throughout Australia.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

03/27/2006 04:42:24 PM · #14

Originally posted by stdavidson:

Originally posted by Judi:
He is about 50cm in length and about a meter across his wing span. I presume he is a Red Goshawk. If you know any more about this species please let me know.

It would be neat if this were a Red Goshawk.
Red Goshawk

It says those are among the rarest birds of prey on Earth and range only throughout Australia.

All the Red Goshawk images I have been able to find do not show the white featehrs, but instead a warmer light color.

R.

03/27/2006 04:47:34 PM · #15

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

All the Red Goshawk images I have been able to find do not show the white featehrs, but instead a warmer light color.

R.

I just found this link with some images of them. Some of the other images I saw they had a dark beak which leant me to thinking my bird isn't a Red Goshawk...but the images on this link tend have either black or light beaks...hmmm.

//www.aviceda.org/abid/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&fid=42&bid=589

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

03/27/2006 04:49:34 PM · #16

I am going to make a few phone calls today to see if I can find some more information about it. I will keep you all informed.

scrum8

Canon EOS-50D

03/27/2006 08:35:43 PM · #17

Here is a Sharp Shin that visited Saturday. He perched on the swing set after buzzing the bird feeder. I think he lives in some tall cottonwood trees that divide two neighborhoods.

JunieMoon

Sony Alpha a7 II

Sony FE 3.5-5.6/28-70 mm OSS

03/28/2006 08:36:32 PM · #18

I think this is a Cooper's Hawk. They haunt birdfeeders because they feast on small birds. The reason why I doubt it is a goshawk is the size. It is too small to be a goshawk. The tail is also too long, and so are the legs.

Here are the three images I took off of a hawk site. If it is small, like 12 inches, it may be a sharpshin also.

Message edited by author 2006-03-28 20:58:57.