Tag Archives: Raptors

Nature

Let’s Share

February 14, 2023 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

A roosting Black Vulture was joined by a Wood Stork.

The Vulture was pretty much unfazed, even with all that flapping going on.

Settle down, look around…we’re at the top of the world!

The angle between these birds and my position created an optical illusion that these two birds are close in height. The Wood Stork actually is longer, weighs more, and has a slightly wider wing span.

Black Vulture:

Length: 23.6-26.8 in (60-68 cm)
Weight: 56.4-77.6 oz (1600-2200 g)
Wingspan: 53.9-59.1 in (137-150 cm)

Wood Stork:

Length: 33.5-45.3 in (85-115 cm)
Weight: 72.3-93.1 oz (2050-2640 g)
Wingspan: 59.1-68.9 in (150-175 cm)

From The Cornell Lab, All About Birds

St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL
January 20, 2023

Raptor

Turkey Vultures On The Ground

January 12, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

It was very windy, the kind of wind that makes your eyes water, as I walked around the recently burned rice field pond on Monday. At the first corner a number of Turkey Vultures were hunkered down.

Turkey Vultures — Turkey Vulture On Unburned Clump of Dried Cattails

At first I thought they might have found something dead to snack on, but as I got closer I could see they were resting.

Some of the reeds on the edge of the pond did burn, although not all the way to the ground.

A wider view, with the Vultures blending in to the brown vegetation. Oddly, I got no odiferous hint that there had recently been a fire here.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 9, 2023

Raptor

Birding At Home: Swallow-tailed Kite

June 26, 2022 Ellen Jennings 4 Comments

I answered the door a few days ago to find our excited neighbor and his two pre-teen boys: “Can you tell us what kind of bird that is?”

Why, yes, I can!

Pretty neat to see a Swallow-tailed Kite swooping over our neighborhood.

They had been watching the bird off and on all day as it was feeding on dragonflies.

Raptor

Osprey in a Pine

June 5, 2022 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

Kiawah River, SC
June 1, 2022

Raptor

Barred Owl Owlet Pair

May 25, 2022 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

The owlet on the right is the one from yesterday’s post. After I took that picture he joined his sibling, and that slight head turn was the closest look I got.

May 17, 2022

Raptor

Barred Owl Owlet

May 24, 2022 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

The establish pair of Barred Owls at Magnolia Plantation had two chicks again this year and so far both have survived. They have moved from the nest area to a small pond where soon they will learn to hunt. This one was a bit more adventurous than the other while I was watching, hopping to his own branch for a look around.

May 17, 2022

Raptor

Fancy Nest Topper, Another Angle

May 19, 2022 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

It was the shape of the tree that caught my eye, from a few posts ago. Turns out, working through my images from that day I had some other shots.

Osprey Nest in Artsy Tree — Osprey Nest– looking like a straw hat, Osprey head just visible

Here’s a wider view.

There were several Osprey flying around.

This one was watching the water but I never saw him dive.

Orlando Wetlands, Florida
April 12, 2022

Artsy

Fancy Nest Topper

May 13, 2022 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

It was the shape of the tree that caught my eye, reminding me of a carved finial. The Osprey nest that looks like a straw hat was secondary. It was early and not much light, but there is an Osprey in the nest, the white on its head visible close to the tree trunk.