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re: The Birds
On really clear, windless nights I can hear Owls, but it's very rare to see one, they roost in the woods, and evidently are very nocturnal. Lately I have been seeing an increase in local crows, so if they see an Owl, they will sometimes pester them into daytime flight, but I haven't seen it, seems like the crows stay away from the woods, and just fly around the same open areas I see the buzzards using.
The large group of Red Tails we see annually, only hang out for 2 to 3 days, mostly we have 3 we see a lot, so it's not like we have a flock all the time. Everyone here figures it's some form of homecoming. My best man was a State of Ohio game warden, then wildlife superintendent for this region. When I first asked him if he had ever encountered this flocking before, he had not, but he talked to some guys who did more research, and they hung out and observed it. I guess it happens in some areas, but not all. My thought is the young are just returning to their birthplaces, even though they are now older, so a multi generational family picnic. The one researcher calls almost every year to check to see if I have seen the flock. He wonders if the original breeders die, if this will continue? Mike the guy 2 doors down, has lived here for over 50 years now, and he swears Arthur has been here most of that time. The folks who know that kind of stuff say 25 to 30 years is a long life for a red tail, so I doubt Mike is correct, but he has been here our time here for sure. Arthur has a very distinctive patch of white on his left wing, both top and bottom, so when he flies it's like a light flashing every time he flaps his wings. Plus he is huge. The researchers think Arthur is actually Annie, and the one we call Annie is Arthur. Probably they are correct. The third one we see is much smaller than either, but has also been here as long as we have, Mike calls him Bozo. In flight he looks supersonic, next to other 2. really quick.
Farm country, plenty of woodlots, water, and mostly, plenty of food for all. They give each other space, but with as many woodlots as we have, everyone can have their own domain. As long as they can feed, they are seemingly content not to "have" to fly forever to get to food. The folks directly across the road from us have a 3 acre lake/pond, and it attracts a lot of wildlife. Probably just a balance of habitat, water, and prey, and we have that nice weedbed out back, as do a lot of the folks along our frontage, and a woods right behind that.
Pay attention when on highways, and you will see all sorts of raptors along the sides of the road, perched on any type of upright structure. Since retirement we are doing a lot more driving on vacations instead of flying. I see raptors along most of the highways in all of the states we drive through.
I read a piece about this not long ago, it was written after the author had talked to a lot of different states wildlife folks. There was a consensus among them that this behavior could lead to earlier deaths among them from the polluted air they are breathing, from exhaust emissions.
The large group of Red Tails we see annually, only hang out for 2 to 3 days, mostly we have 3 we see a lot, so it's not like we have a flock all the time. Everyone here figures it's some form of homecoming. My best man was a State of Ohio game warden, then wildlife superintendent for this region. When I first asked him if he had ever encountered this flocking before, he had not, but he talked to some guys who did more research, and they hung out and observed it. I guess it happens in some areas, but not all. My thought is the young are just returning to their birthplaces, even though they are now older, so a multi generational family picnic. The one researcher calls almost every year to check to see if I have seen the flock. He wonders if the original breeders die, if this will continue? Mike the guy 2 doors down, has lived here for over 50 years now, and he swears Arthur has been here most of that time. The folks who know that kind of stuff say 25 to 30 years is a long life for a red tail, so I doubt Mike is correct, but he has been here our time here for sure. Arthur has a very distinctive patch of white on his left wing, both top and bottom, so when he flies it's like a light flashing every time he flaps his wings. Plus he is huge. The researchers think Arthur is actually Annie, and the one we call Annie is Arthur. Probably they are correct. The third one we see is much smaller than either, but has also been here as long as we have, Mike calls him Bozo. In flight he looks supersonic, next to other 2. really quick.
Farm country, plenty of woodlots, water, and mostly, plenty of food for all. They give each other space, but with as many woodlots as we have, everyone can have their own domain. As long as they can feed, they are seemingly content not to "have" to fly forever to get to food. The folks directly across the road from us have a 3 acre lake/pond, and it attracts a lot of wildlife. Probably just a balance of habitat, water, and prey, and we have that nice weedbed out back, as do a lot of the folks along our frontage, and a woods right behind that.
Pay attention when on highways, and you will see all sorts of raptors along the sides of the road, perched on any type of upright structure. Since retirement we are doing a lot more driving on vacations instead of flying. I see raptors along most of the highways in all of the states we drive through.
I read a piece about this not long ago, it was written after the author had talked to a lot of different states wildlife folks. There was a consensus among them that this behavior could lead to earlier deaths among them from the polluted air they are breathing, from exhaust emissions.
