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mj3151:

More hungry Bald Eagles from Conowingo Dam in Maryland.

Wow.  ('nuff said)

Stunning eagle photos, mj3151

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"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
Immanuel Kant

Thanks. It's a great time of year to see these guys at this spot. People come from all over the country to photograph them. I counted over fifty photographers lined up along the river at the same time on Sunday, and most of them had lenses that made my little 300mm f4 look like a pea shooter. You would think all that commotion would bother the birds, but there's enough distance between where they fish and roost and where the photogs congregate that it doesn't seem to faze them. Short of making the trek to the Chilkat River, I can't imagine a better place to observe these guys.

Wow!!!!!!!  An absolutely incredible series.  Whew.  Lovin' em!

Well this certainly is pretty lousy in comparison.....but.....

"...more than a mouthful?"

 

One from this past weekend ...

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Rudi.
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Speak softly and carry a big lens!
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See my bird photos on Flickr

Another fishy shot ...

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Rudi.
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Speak softly and carry a big lens!
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See my bird photos on Flickr

And, so as not to leave the reaptors out ...

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Rudi.
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Speak softly and carry a big lens!
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See my bird photos on Flickr

nuissrf:

And, so as not to leave the reaptors out ...

That's a really nice clear shot. I've never been able to get anywhere near that close to one of these guys. They're always on a power line overhead and spook as soon as they see my car slowing down. I guess yours was up on a utility pole, so you must have a pretty nice lens.

mj3151:

nuissrf:

And, so as not to leave the reaptors out ...

That's a really nice clear shot. I've never been able to get anywhere near that close to one of these guys. They're always on a power line overhead and spook as soon as they see my car slowing down. I guess yours was up on a utility pole, so you must have a pretty nice lens.

Not a raptor but a falcon

Uhh, a falcon IS a raptor..................Raptor means "bird of prey", so I consider Falcons, Hawks, Ospreys, Kites, and Eagles as raptors.

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Life List: 164
New this year-to-date: 13
Latest: Red-crowned Parrot

Very curious.  My Sibley calls the Falconidae family Diurnal Raptors.

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Latest Birds: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk, Common Goldeneye

Curlybird:

Uhh, a falcon IS a raptor..................Raptor means "bird of prey", so I consider Falcons, Hawks, Ospreys, Kites, and Eagles as raptors.

You're right. Vultures too.

It certainly could be a basket term, but the taxonomy is much much more interesting. According to the molecular study Hackett et al. 2008, there are two distinct lineages of raptors. The first (for the purposes of labeling) is deemed Accipiteriformes and would include your Accipiteridae (hawks and eagles), Cathartidae (vultures), Pandionidae (osprey) and Saggittariidae (secretarybird). Falconiformes (falcons), on the other hand, seem to come from a second radiation of birds and are actually closely related to the Psittaciformes (parrots). This is quite different from the Sibley-Ahlquist DNA-DNA hybridization taxonomy most people are used to... but keep in mind that in that study, vultures came out next to storks, so I'd take it with a grain of salt.

Er, so, in short, just call 'em whatever you want!

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Total birds seen: 217
Latest lifers:
Wilson's Snipe, Barred Owl, Eastern Meadowlark
Favorite lifers:
Black-billed Cuckoo, Reddish Egret, Wood Stork
Go Birds Go! Blog

Dark-eyed Junco, red-backed morph (bi-colored bill).  I read that this bird may be regrouped with the Yellow-eyed Junco. 

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Latest Birds: Sage Thrasher, Ferruginous Hawk, Common Goldeneye

Kryptos18:

It certainly could be a basket term, but the taxonomy is much much more interesting. According to the molecular study Hackett et al. 2008, there are two distinct lineages of raptors. The first (for the purposes of labeling) is deemed Accipiteriformes and would include your Accipiteridae (hawks and eagles), Cathartidae (vultures), Pandionidae (osprey) and Saggittariidae (secretarybird). Falconiformes (falcons), on the other hand, seem to come from a second radiation of birds and are actually closely related to the Psittaciformes (parrots). This is quite different from the Sibley-Ahlquist DNA-DNA hybridization taxonomy most people are used to... but keep in mind that in that study, vultures came out next to storks, so I'd take it with a grain of salt.

Er, so, in short, just call 'em whatever you want!

the DNA-DNA hybridization is pretty sound in my opinion.  i totally agree that vultures are close to storks in the liniage.