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Author Topic: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse  (Read 408196 times)

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1890 on: December 14, 2021, 10:06:48 AM »

Rewind to about 8:00 this morning for two Northern Harriers perched on a dead branch.  Very cool.  Also two coyotes on the ice at about 9:00 AM, but too far for a decent pic.

tulsaducati

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1891 on: December 15, 2021, 10:01:44 AM »

Our live stream feed is experiencing technical issues at this time; Decorah Eagles, Decorah North Nest, Great Spirit Bluff Falcons, and Mississippi River flyway cams are all showing highlights. The live feeds will be restored as soon as possible.
Please join us in our campaign to GET THE LEAD OUT. Together we can make the world a safer place for Bald Eagles and all wild life. We need you, THEY need you!
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/get_the_lead_out/index.html

LisaG1967

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1892 on: December 15, 2021, 11:11:27 AM »

A little after 11am...two BE's perched, and one flies off

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1893 on: December 15, 2021, 04:16:02 PM »

Lisa, that's a great take-off pic!

LisaG1967

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1894 on: December 15, 2021, 04:41:15 PM »

Lisa, that's a great take-off pic!

Thanks, STL  :)

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1895 on: December 16, 2021, 04:56:34 PM »

Almost a full moon tonight, and the GSB cam ops show us the best pics!   OK, so I'm posting the same message here, at Decorah, and the North site.  I'm a moon-watcher.

T40cfr403

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1896 on: December 17, 2021, 12:34:18 PM »

Spectacular hawks fly like helicopter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljlvQ40xK5s&ab_channel=GlenLoyd

From RRP's FB page:

Raptor Resource Project
December 15

It was hawk day on the Flyway! We saw a rough-legged hawk hovering, northern harriers and rough-legged hawks flying, and two Northern Harriers perching - the first time that we've ever seen two together! Migration patterns can alter as populations change and habitat increases or diminishes. I would love to see more of them using the Mississippi Flyway - the large treed islands aren't harrier habitat, but open islands and sandbars are excellent places for open ground hunters like these.

Mississippi Flyway
December 14, 2021: Rough-legged hawk hovering demo - https://youtu.be/Zm_NQ-jtkus. Go to 2:20 for a really cool close-up of this behavior! You can see how the hawk spreads its tail wide and flat, opens its wing slots, and holds its head steady, staying perfectly balanced as it searches for food below. It flapped its wings about once every 2.5 seconds for most of its hover - an incredible feat given that an adult's wingspan is about 52.0-54.3" inches long. Want to see it in slow-motion? Follow this link: https://youtu.be/UtBWcEgqdMs.

Rough-legged hawks hunt from perches and on the wing, depending on the availability of perches, weather, and possibly other factors. Its longest hover last about 26 seconds, its shortest hover lasted about 10 seconds, and it hovered for about one minute, 45 seconds over a three minute period.

December 14, 2021: Northern Harriers - https://youtu.be/aBEDU6WyRy8. Heart be still - there are two of them!
Northern Harriers and rough-legged hawks are stunning and our camera operators and videomakers loved them! We have six videos from December 14 on our Mississippi Flyway playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist...

December 14, 2021: Northern Harriers - https://youtu.be/aBEDU6WyRy8. Heart be still - there are two of them!
Northern Harriers and Rough-Legged Hawks are stunning and our camera operators and video makers loved them! We have six videos
from the 14th on our Mississippi Flyway playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist...

Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of the world.
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1897 on: December 17, 2021, 04:16:32 PM »

Busy raptor day at the Flyway, great for pictures, not good for plan to get Christmas cards written!

One of the Flyway mods just posted video of two hawks at the chat site, saying one was a Rough Legged and the other a Northern Harrier. Same hawks in pics posted here. I thought both were Northern Harriers.  What do the rest of you experts say?? 

Rough Legged is a new bird for my life list. Rewind to about 10:00 this morning to see them moving.  ID pic for reference from AllAboutBirds.com

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1898 on: December 17, 2021, 04:19:36 PM »

Pair of BEs on the nest at the Flyway at about 10:30 this morning. Spectacular!  The Coopers, yes?

Couple pics of younger sub-adult BE. Might be the same eagle in two locations.

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1899 on: December 17, 2021, 04:23:35 PM »

Finally, a successful duck hunt by an adult BE. First pic, it's the eagle flying at the left, with the duck visible under the tip of a wing.  Second pic, eagle flies off with the duck.  Lunch.

This one is best on the rewind to see the whole sequence of little duck diving to avoid the eagle as it hovers and splashes down several times. In the end, the eagle won.  All at long distance, so no gore for the squeamish.

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1900 on: December 18, 2021, 12:28:27 PM »

Quick sighting of the hawk about 9:30 this morning. It's sitting on a grassy hillock, far away so the picture is pretty blurry from the wind. As it took off, the wings looked like those of a rough legged hawk. (See ID comparison pic posted yesterday)

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1901 on: December 21, 2021, 04:17:39 PM »

Here's a four-pack of Winter Solstice pics:   sunrise, shortest day of the year, first day of Winter, eagles greet the dawn

eburgbirdwtchr

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1902 on: December 23, 2021, 02:01:12 PM »

Short Earred Owl on cam now.  (At least that's my guess after viewing my Sibley's.)  :)
Use the talents you possess: for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best.
Iowa Lakes Region, western North Central Iowa

STLbf

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1903 on: December 23, 2021, 04:27:52 PM »

eburg, thanks for the heads-up about the owl.  There might have been 2 different owls perching at about the same time and nearby location.  Or one owl in two places along the snags.  I'm not good at owl IDs, but one looked taller and grayer than the other.

LisaG1967

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Re: Flyway Cam NFWR La Crosse
« Reply #1904 on: December 28, 2021, 11:20:24 AM »

Oh, to be the owner of that house, and have that view!