Another view from a shot I posted a while back
Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Grasslands
Food : Small Animals
Nesting : Cavity
Behavior : Aerial Dive
Conservation : Low Concern
"North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in open territory, kestrels perch on wires or poles, or hover facing into the wind, flapping and adjusting their long tails to stay in place. Kestrels are declining in parts of their range; you can help them by putting up nest boxes... Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light. This enables kestrels to make out the trails of urine that voles, a common prey mammal, leave as they run along the ground. Like neon diner signs, these bright paths may highlight the way to a meal—as has been observed in the Eurasian Kestrel, a close relative."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: American Kestrel Falco sparverius Adult Male Emigrant Lake Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington
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Not the shot I had hoped for (flat as still water), but it was a very cool experience seeing two (I believe a mating pair) on the ground.
ORDER: Accipitriformes FAMILY: Accipitridae
Habitat : Grasslands
Food : Mammals
Nesting : Cliff
Beahvior : Soaring
Conservation : Low Concern
"The Golden Eagle is one of the largest, fastest, nimblest raptors in North America. Lustrous gold feathers gleam on the back of its head and neck; a powerful beak and talons advertise its hunting prowess. You're most likely to see this eagle in western North America, soaring on steady wings or diving in pursuit of the jackrabbits and other small mammals that are its main prey. Sometimes seen attacking large mammals, or fighting off coyotes or bears in defense of its prey and young, the Golden Eagle has long inspired both reverence and fear... Because their common prey animals (mammals) don’t tend to ingest pesticides, Golden Eagles have escaped the harm sustained by fish-eating or bird-eating raptors from DDT and related chemicals. When these pesticides thinned the eggshells of many birds of prey, Golden Eagles’ shells retained normal thickness. Pesticide concentrations in their blood stayed below levels known to cause reproductive problems."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Accipitriformes Accipitridae Cascade Mountains Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington
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Emigrant Creek - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Forests
Food : Birds
Nesting : Tree
Behavior : Aerial Forager
Conservation : Low Concern
"Among the bird world’s most skillful fliers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. You’re most likely to see one prowling above a forest edge or field using just a few stiff wingbeats followed by a glide. With their smaller lookalike, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawks make for famously tricky identifications... Dashing through vegetation to catch birds is a dangerous lifestyle. In a study of more than 300 Cooper’s Hawk skeletons, 23 percent showed old, healed-over fractures in the bones of the chest, especially of the furcula, or wishbone."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii Emigrant Creek Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington Hawk Raptor
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Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Lakes and Ponds
Food : Fish
Nesting : Tree
Behavior : Aerial Dive
Conservation : Low Concern
"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." - Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Osprey Pandion haliaetus Emigrant Lake Jackson County Oregon USA Fish Hawk Raptor Mark Heatherington
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Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Emigrant Lake - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Lakes and Ponds
Food : Fish
Nesting : Tree
Behavior : Aerial Dive
Conservation : Low Concern
"Unique among North American raptors for its diet of live fish and ability to dive into water to catch them, Ospreys are common sights soaring over shorelines, patrolling waterways, and standing on their huge stick nests, white heads gleaming. These large, rangy hawks do well around humans and have rebounded in numbers following the ban on the pesticide DDT. Hunting Ospreys are a picture of concentration, diving with feet outstretched and yellow eyes sighting straight along their talons." - Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Osprey Pandion haliaetus Close up Emigrant Lake Jackson County Rogue Valley Oregon USA Mark Heatherington Raptor Fish Hawk
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