Yesterday, since it wasn't raining, I put my daughter to sleep by taking a pram ride and then went for a bike ride on the mountain above the house. I saw many buzzards including a group of 12 in migration two sparrow hawks a goshawk a young golden eagle and two milvus, milvus milvus I think.
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What did you see in your binoculars today? (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter NDhunter
- Start date
Yes, the Red Kite is regarded by many to be the most handsome of all raptors.
About half the world's breeding population is here in Germany, but on a trip to the UK in 2010 I saw them in South Wales and in Buckinghamshire, where I grew up. As a child I never saw raptors in the wild, but I think they have been reintroduced there.
Strange that the Black Kite, in contrast, is so widely distributed. I even saw them in Oz.
John
StephenHampshire
Well-known member
Several kites seen this rather gray and drizzly afternoon in Hampshire and a couple of Kestrels, a male and a juvenile. Also a green woodpecker in a tree, which is always nice, a nd a Great White egret which are much less common than small egrets round here, so I was pleased with that. Also heard a Cetti and several yellowhammers.
Dipperdapper
Well-known member
Observed a beautiful crescent Moon and Jupiter in the evening sky - approximately 5.1 angular degrees apart. A very fine sight in my 10 x 50!
Thotmosis
Well-known member
Observed a great crested grebe from close distance for a half hour or so with my Leica UVHD 7x42.
The sun was shining, some money in my pocket, no serious health issues, it was a great day!
The sun was shining, some money in my pocket, no serious health issues, it was a great day!
Great crested grebe - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Great crested grebe - Wikipedia
Just returned from a great trip to South Texas - one of my favorite places to visit as it overlaps both Southwestern USA and the northernmost range of many Mexican species. What a fantastic adventure. The main challenge is geography - Texas is huge and the habitat often hundreds of miles apart. A small price to pay for such rewarding birding adventures. A few highlights follow:
Zone-Tailed Hawk
Vermillion Flycatcher
Green Jay
Bare-Thoated Tiger Heron - seen by a number of folks but as far as I can tell this is the first recorded in USA
Cassin’s Sparrow
Aplomado Falcon
In addition, a few “lifers” that I didn’t manage to get clear pictures of:
Zone-Tailed Hawk
Vermillion Flycatcher
Green Jay
Bare-Thoated Tiger Heron - seen by a number of folks but as far as I can tell this is the first recorded in USA
Cassin’s Sparrow
Aplomado Falcon
In addition, a few “lifers” that I didn’t manage to get clear pictures of:
- Whooping Crane
- Mottled Owl - also first specimen recorded in USA (ID’d by several)
- Morelet’s Seedeater
- Audubon’s Oriole
- Brown Jay
- Rose-throated Becard
- Red-billed Pigeon
- Roadside Hawk
Thotmosis
Well-known member
Wow 🤩
Brilliant bird. How rare are they in that area, and what sort of habitat was it? Following an Aplomado in high-speed pursuit over the mesquite is just the sort of stuff of which alpha binocular adverts would be made (if optics companies had the budget!).
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Aplomado Falcon: I found it in Cameron County Texas on a desert plain not far from the edge of a low brush riparian zone surrounding a man made lake and water treatment facility. It is a known location for them but far less than a “gimmie.” I was in the area for a while looking everywhere. When examining a cellular tower in my spotting scope I could see part of the silhouette of a bird. After some study I could see it was the Aplomado. So I waited and he finally jumped out into an open spot where I could snatch a pic. Cannot image any prey escaping his dive-bombing run from that perch.
The heron looks so secretive lol
