Birders – Birding Guides and a Long Driving Trip
By Donna Bessken
Why am I a birder? What is so special about my birding guides? What actually happens on those long drives to meetings? A short true story may shed some light on those issues. Often I am surprised when driving along at 65 miles an hour and I see a red tail hawk overhead and someone says “Oh look at the buzzard.” Continue reading
I was on a trip mostly high speed roads and did not stop to ID the endless hawks that I saw out that day.
Most were red-tailed hawks. I saw LOTS of Turkey vultures and crows and RAVENS feeding on dead deer along the road side.
I also saw 2 magnificent hawks I could not recognize at high speed and could not stop just then.
My book was buried in my trunk and I have been at meetings so I haven’t identified them yet.
One had a bright rufous chest and grayish back and blackish head, about the size of red-tail.
The other had its back to me and had an alert or startled posture all tightened up, so what I noticed was black and white feathers and a DISTINCTIVE white and Black eye stripe pattern.
What surprised me was how I had trouble finding a GOOD online BIRD ID site. Lots of great hawk and birds of prey info, but can anyone point me to a good – really good- online Bird ID that includes hawks and other raptors?
Thanks folks. I ran out of time and could not look through pages of flicker photos.
Have a great birding day. This one should be good for me too.
Do your bird watcher shopping HERE.