Duck loses.....

I watched this Raptor swoop down and nail a duck this morning. He sure made short work of it.

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Here you go.

Red-tailed Hawk Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Possum—The other white meat!

What kind of animal is a raptor?

Diurnal birds of prey—hawks, eagles, vultures, and falcons (Falconiformes)—are also called raptors, which comprise more than 500 species. The word raptor is derived from the Latin raptare, “to seize and carry off.” (The name raptor is sometimes synonymous with the designation bird of prey.)

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Saw the same thing yesterday, but mama duck was quicker so no duckling for the hawk.

He should have ducked.....

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

I see what you did there....

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Eric—that is a GREAT picture. I love Red-Tails. I had to look a bit to make sure that was what he was for sure. Raptors can be tricky to nail down to species.

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Possum—The other white meat!

Duck is yummy 🤤

Yes sir. Definitely a Red Tail Hawk. I work at a local Park and they are all over the place, along with turkeys, ducks, geese, turtles of different kinds, fox, whistle pigs, etc. I get some pretty cool pics with my phone.

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Yes sir. Definitely a Red Tail Hawk. I work at a local Park and they are all over the place, along with turkeys, ducks, geese, turtles of different kinds, fox, whistle pigs, squirrels, etc. I get some pretty cool pics with my phone.

I made this guy a peanut butter & cracker snack


This Gobbler was in the nature preserve


I thought made for a cute pic


A few more miscellaneous pics

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Eric—I bet you get snowy owl in the winter? Do you get to see the Northern Lights too?

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Possum—The other white meat!

Unfortunately, no. Too far south in the state for either of those. I'm only about 60 miles North of the Toledo, Ohio border. I have been seeing Bald Eagles around here, though! I do have Screech Owls, Horned Owls, hanging out behind my house in the hardwoods and pine trees. And Barn Owls.

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

I could've told how that tale ends very quickly!
Duck is lunch all the time!!
Not to mention smaller, fury rodents, and other birds that look tasty!
Heck, even small dog breeds are on the menu if left unattended!!
Sluuuuurrrrpppp!!
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!
Making me hungry just thinking about it!!!!

LOL


Hawk

Sent from my REVVLRY+ using Tapatalk

Never seen a hawk take a duck, but once, for some reason, a flock of sea gulls decided to harass a couple ducks. I think they were trying to get them to fly, but they wouldn't, just a lot of loud quacking. Had my camera with me for that.

Larry

Messing with the ducks....... by Larry, on Flickr

Poor little ducky. I like ducks. Common mergansers some times perch on my Madrona tree branches close to the trunk so the tree's canopy will protect them from bald eagles. It's the only situation in which I've seen large ducks perch in trees.

I have ducks that land in my yard to feast under the bird feeder. They've grown used to me and will come up to the patio screen and stand there until I come out and dump a cup of feed for them.

A few weeks ago, the wife said a hawk had a bird and was ripping it apart. It was one of the ducks. Tore the breast right out of it. It was sad, but can't blame the hawk for doing what hawks do. That one duck's mate still hangs around and tries to run off any other ducks that fly in.

Squirrels get a quick trip of to an unpopulated area if they come around.

I have numerous hawks living in my AO, Red Tailed, Cooper's and Sharp Shinned, so I keep my Hawk Feeder well stocked with bird seed...seed attracts small birds and squirrels which in turn attract the hawks - SHOWTIME!

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Expect the unexpected

Per post #14;

Well, some say that thing is a duck but if you ever tried to eat one
you will quickly learn that they are the skum of the eart and actually
feed on the trout that are planted at the local ponds for our childrens enjoyment.
They need to be shipped back to Aisa or have a bounty on their heads.

Merganzers............... yuck.

A picture taken by my daughter up in Montana. This was a lucky duck. The eagle had the duck but was scared by my daughter who was standing about 6 feet away

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Most of the time, or at least very often, I have two kinds of mergansers out front, common mergansers and hooded mergansers. The two ducks being "harassed" by the seagulls obviously are not hooded mergansers and I"m 90% sure their lack of Mohawk feathers eliminates them being common merganser hens.

Daily I see a variety of ducks, surf scooters and seagulls intermixed in the same small area. I never see one type harassing the other. The ducks dive for their meals. The seagulls scratch out clams to carry aloft then drop and eat off the beach surface. I don't see them competing with the ducks for the same foods. The exception is crows but they're another story.

Common Merganser hens with tuft’s slicked back/down ducking the gulls.

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Possum—The other white meat!

When I worked in downtown Toledo about 21 years ago, there were a few Peregrine Falcons living there and every nest had at least one chick in it, and so the adults were on the hunt all day. One morning about 730, a coworker was coming across the street, and one of the Falcon's nailed a Pigeon that was flying about 20 feet up and it basically exploded and she was showered in guts and feathers. She started screaming, "OMG, what was that?". I told her what happened, and she ended up going back home for a shower and change of clothes. After that, she was totally paranoid about walking outside. The pack of feral dogs didn't scare her, the Raccoons that were running around all night getting into dumpsters was no big deal, but the Falcons hunting other birds in broad daylight terrified her.

What's a whistle pig? The rest I recognize.

Nice pictures, by the way.

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2 Blessed 2B Stressed

Our favorite bluegrass band! Also a groundhog.

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Possum—The other white meat!

I was enjoying my 2nd cup of coffee one early spring morning a couple of years ago. As I looked out toward my bird bath, there perched the first Robin of spring. A moment later there was a flash of feathers, and poor cock Robin was no more.

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Only a cold warrior

Affirmative. A great Blue Grass Band, a Ground Hog, and, some damn fine rye whisky!



Oh yeah, also the name of a company that makes Ruger 10-22 barrels.

But, I was referring to a Ground Hog. Also known as a Woodchuck, and Land Beaver. The name 'Whistle Pig' comes from the noise they make when calling. The name 'Land Beaver' comes from their habitat and behavior (gnawing on wood). Whatever you call them, they are big brown rodents, and actually quite tasty when prepared properly in a crock pot.

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Red tails are very common where I live, I saw one just the other day low over the house, I gave a high pitched whistle...he turned and circled over the house treating me to a background sun through his red feathers, brilliant display. I love all the hawks and appreciate them for the pinnacle of evolutionary product they represent....self sustained flight.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

And a sacred animal in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

More than likely the work of a falcon, Peregrines are notorious bird killers. They have installed mated pairs in areas of high pigeon populations, after the pair raised a new brood and fed off the pigeons and established new territory there was no longer a problem with pigeons. I had a good friend that raised pigeons and of course hated falcons and hawks, I had to admit that it was mesmorizing to watch his pigeons in flight.
A couple years ago on one of my walks I was about a block from home and noticed a dark silouette in a nearby tree, he allowed me to get close enough to identify a Peregrine falcon. It was a cold January day and I wondered what he was feeding off of and I remembered the California Quail that were introduced years ago, which explained the odd pile of feathers I would see on my walks. Not to mention the trash doves that were also integrated into the ecosystem, Rock doves look like a Mourning dove on steroids...good riddance to any of them.

Thanks for all the informative replies on a whistle pig. Am now enlightened.

The whiskey looks kind of interesting...more so than the thought of a ground hog in my crock pot.

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2 Blessed 2B Stressed

If you've never tried Rye you ought to. An acquired taste for sure, like scotch. You either love it or hare it.
As far as Hawks-I can't tell you how many ducks I've shot only to have a hawk eat the breast out of them. Oh well,,,,,they gotta eat too.

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Forum consigliere

Yes, Real Ducks dive for their food...................
but they don't come up with a fish in their bills.

Ocean birds like Brant also dive for food , in our salt water areas but most ducks feed on grass, weeds, grains and seeds, bugs & snails.