NYS Fishing...or should I say skunking!!!!

[kindanewbie77]

BHC and I got together and fished a few spots in NYS today....no fish for me or him while we were together....might be my bad mojo... but we did see a few nice bugs IMG_0107-1.jpg

After watching a gargantuan midge hatch with nothing coming up to them we decided to try another spot. While waling back to our trucks, on the path there was a field sparrow that appeared to be hurt. I walked closer and he took off only to be chased by this hungry fellow IMG_0120-1.jpg.


BHC and I got to about 2 feet from this falcon....I am a bird NUT so this was pretty cool for me!!! Here is another pic!IMG_0121-1.jpg


And after a wsound skunking on some NYS water, I came home to good ole' Jerzey and caught me some sunnys on a 3 weight in the farm pond down the road from my house! And, I can have a few pops while doing that, so it ain't all that bad!

 

[Broadheadscreek]

The word of the day SKUNK!! Went back to the spot and waited for several hours for some thing to happen and not a rise to be seen. Still a very nice day to be out and observe Mother Nature at her best great day!!! And good company Kindanewbie!

 

[gadfly]

Very cool! That's actually a sharp shinned hawk. Its an accipiter, not a falcon. Also you can tell its a second year bird b/c it has adult plumage but its eye is still orange. First year birds have yellow eyes, adults have deep red eyes.

The accipiters are forest dwelling hawks that surprise their prey and run them down with short bursts of speed. They are ferocious predators - sometimes trying to take down birds much bigger then themselves. Nice find.

 

[Future Fanatic]

BHC and I got to about 2 feet from this falcon....I am a bird NUT so this was pretty cool for me!!!!

Accipiter, yes? How big?

 

[kindanewbie77]

It stood about a foot tall, give or take.....thanks for the input gadfly.....it had the elongated rectangular shaped tail, which led me to believe that it was a falcon, and not a hawk. It's one to mark down on my life list!

 

[Future Fanatic]

Very cool! That's actually a sharp shinned hawk. Its an accipiter, not a falcon.

Ya beat me...

But how does one tell that it is not a Cooper's Hawk or a Northern Goshawk? Thanks!

 

[Future Fanatic]

it had the elongated rectangular shaped tail!

That'd do it.

 

[gadfly]

Ya beat me...

But how does one tell that it is not a Cooper's Hawk or a Northern Goshawk? Thanks!

Goshawks are very big... a little smaller than a red-tailed hawk and they have a very different plumage. The most notable difference in plumage is the adult goshawk has a delicate gray pattern in its breast, while the sharp-shin and coopers both have the horizontal orange barring like in the photo here. The juvenile plumage of all three species is about the same - brown back, light chest, with vertical brown streaks.

The difference between adult Coopers and sharp-shinned is very, very tough. Toughest identification problem in north American raptors if you ask me. Size is one way to tell, since Coopers are bigger, but that is very tough to tell since they're usually not sitting next to each other. So, the best way to tell is by shapes and proportions. In this case the relative size of the head and beak. Coopers have a larger, blockier head. The sharp shinned's head is smaller and more rounded. The difference is noticeable if you get a good look, but its often a tough call.

Check this site out for more info:
Identifying Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks