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View Full Version : Ft DeSoto Park - Woodpecker and ???

sparker1
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 14:44
The woodpecker was diretly above me, high in a tree, thus preventing a good angle for a photo. We saw several others, but they don't sit still for long. The other bird is a new one for me. It looks like a picture I once saw, calling it a Goshawk. Can anyone identify it for certain?
robertwgross
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 15:40
American Kestrel, of the falcon family.

---Bob Gross---
CyberDyneSystems
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 15:47
Nice,. the kestrel is one of my favorites,. and one I have yet to get a decent image of in the wild. Their actually one of the more common falcons here in the States,. but small and fast,. they are hard to get a good pic of ;)

A Goshawk?... well ,. you'll need to start guaging size and mass a little better,.

...the Goshawk is an absolute beast of a raptor,.. one that could take you in a clean fight! Whereas the Kestrel is barely bigger than a Robin. ;)
robertwgross
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 15:53
Nice,. the kestrel is one of my favorites,. and one I have yet to get a decent image of in the wild. Their actually one of the more common falcons here in the States,. but small and fast,. they are hard to get a good pic of ;)

That was what I thought prior to a few months ago.

I walked around one of the parks of the San Francisco Bay area, and found a perfect male kestrel just sitting on a short wooden pole. I cautiously approached and shot one frame at a time as I got closer (100-400 lens). It allowed me to get to about ten feet away before it finally spooked, but I got a full bird face in the frame, enough detail that I could see the speck of green marsh scum on its beak. Then I figured out that it had probably just eaten some marsh animal and its belly was too full to fly far.

---Bob Gross---
Reigh Higgins
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 15:53
Nice kestrel shot, this is my favorite.
sparker1
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 16:01
Thanks for the ID. Since I had never seen either bird, I had no clue as to size or mass. Hopefully, I can remember it. On the other hand, I need to get a birding book.
RJSorensen
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 16:33
I will trade you a few hundred blurry shots of the Kestrel for this one . . . nice catch.
HJMinard
2nd of March 2005 (Wed), 21:39
Nice,. the kestrel is one of my favorites

One of my favorites, too ...

Nice shots, sparker1!