Raptors: Merritt Island, Florida (1 Viewer)

[tconzemi]

….my money is on the front end.

my money stays on the rear end

 

[KenM]

Barred secondaries = red-shouldered hawk. Not to mention (again) the dark throat.

Speaking of barred secondaries….

 

[Butty]

You're looking at the wrong feather-tracts. Secondaries in those two photos are unbarred.
Note also the pale throat in both.

 

[KenM]

You're looking at the wrong feather-tracts. Secondaries in those two photos are unbarred.
Note also the pale throat in both.

What part of the wing are the “feather tracts” on…clearly not the primaries…..?

 

[tconzemi]

... and the wings are actually longer than the tail

 

[Butty]

What part of the wing are the “feather tracts” on…clearly not the primaries…..?

(As so often) I've no idea what you mean. See Topography - BirdForum Opus

 

[KenM]

... and the wings are actually longer than the tail

If we put the “perspective element” to one side, after moulting and during, would not a juvenile’s prims.be shorter, totally ignoring the “front end” for the time being?

 

[Butty]

Look at the two photos of juveniles that you have just posted and you will see that this is not obviously the case.

 

[tconzemi]

If we put the “perspective element” to one side, after moulting and during, would not a juvenile’s prims.be shorter, totally ignoring the “front end” for the time being?

Ken, single pictures (these are all from the sam point of view) can be deceptive indeed, but I can not imagine how to turn the bird to lengthen the wings.
Also there is a bold secondary pattern as Butty explained and an almost invisible one in your images

 

[KenM]

No pun intended, but the smoke screening on the wing barring is really of a secondary nature, that said, my primary focus is on the “front end”
A question Tom, what are the odds of an “artefact” producing a “Snail Kite’s” head/bill on GM’s second image, you can clearly see the yellow base to the bill (long and narrow) much more so than any other raptor of the region?

 

[Butty]

the wing barring is really of a secondary nature

Not at all. You can't dismiss a feature just because it doesn't fit your pre-existing thesis. If a bird clearly has a feature which precludes it from being a certain species (secondary-barring is visible here in two photos) then it isn't that species - and you must look elsewhere for explanations of features which, though suggestive of that species, are inherently dubious.
Poor-quality fuzzy photos can produce all manner of weird, unexpected and even inexplicable effects - and, if this bird has had the apparent size and shape of its bill changed thereby, it won't be the first time that any of us has seen such an effect.

yellow base to the bill (long and narrow)

Whether you mean here that the yellow base to the bill is long and narrow, or that the whole bill itself is long and narrow, that's wrong. Look again.

 

[tconzemi]

A question Tom, what are the odds of an “artefact” producing a “Snail Kite’s” head/bill on GM’s second image, you can clearly see the yellow base to the bill (long and narrow) much more so than any other raptor of the region?

Red-shouldered has large yellow cere where as Snail Kite juvenile has very small yellow cere not even visible on your second (not so good). picture.
Bill is so small in these not so perfect pictures that any movement blur combined with jpeg artefacts may make the bill more slender or bolder
This said I have hardly any experience with nearctic birds of prey, so let us give a bit space for our american experts

 

[KenM]

Tom, I’m referring to the 2nd set of images 1st image (new), to my eye the bill (as “arte-facted” as you might want), shows a long slim yellow cere (bill base) and the 2nd image as in the original set again….showing a markedly slim, down curved bill…the likes of which I’ve never seen on a raptor before.

FWIW Snail Kite is a Merritt Island speciality?

 

[D Halas]

FWIW Snail Kite is a Merritt Island speciality?

Red-shouldered Hawk is reported from 51.5% of eBird checklists at the Merritt Island NWR hotspot, while Snail Kite is reported from 0.39% of eBird checklists from the same hotspot.

 

[KenM]

Red-shouldered Hawk is reported from 51.5% of eBird checklists at the Merritt Island NWR hotspot, while Snail Kite is reported from 0.39% of eBird checklists from the same hotspot.

That to one side, what do you think?

 

[Mike Earp]

Red-shouldered Hawk is reported from 51.5% of eBird checklists at the Merritt Island NWR hotspot, while Snail Kite is reported from 0.39% of eBird checklists from the same hotspot.

And who knows what proportion of the Snail Kite reports were erroneous?

 

[raymie]

FWIW Snail Kite is a Merritt Island speciality?

No, they're not particularly common there.

 

[KenM]

No, they're not particularly common there.

Interesting, on the web I found SK in bold type along with several other species, as being found in the Merritt Island area, no doubt not as numerous as RSH, with both being ticks if I ever get to Florida.

Cheers

 

[Butty]

That to one side, what do you think

...about the ID, Ken?

 

[raymie]

Interesting, on the web I found SK in bold type along with several other species, as being found in the Merritt Island area, no doubt not as numerous as RSH, with both being ticks if I ever get to Florida.

Cheers

They certainly occur there, but there not common and are far easier in other parts of the state.