American pikas are small, mountain-dwelling lagomorphs that look like a cross between their rabbit cousins and rodents such as guinea pigs or hamsters. They’re common throughout the Rocky Mountains in the USA and southern Canada up to elevations over 4,000 metres. They specialise in inhabiting broken rocky habitats known as talus and are not considered […]
Tag: raptors
Mozambican reserve harbors largest documented breeding population of rare falcon
A new study reports that the Niassa Special Reserve, a 4-million-hectare (10-million-acre) wilderness in northern Mozambique, harbors the largest documented breeding population of Taita falcons. A survey that focused on 35 of the reserve’s towering granite inselbergs found 14 pairs of the birds. The study authors estimate the entire reserve could harbor up to 76 […]
Raptors illegally shot and killed as they rest in barns and roosts, Utah officials say
Several species of raptors, including hawks and owls, were illegally shot and killed in southern Utah over the last few months, wildlife officials said. Eleven birds were found shot and killed between December and February, the Utah Department of Natural Resources said in an emailed news release on Feb. 27. Natural Resource officers determined all […]
Road Kill
Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae. Caracaras are principally birds of South and Central America, just reaching the southern United States. Unlike the Falco falcons in […]
Migration resumes
The 7th Eilat Bird Festival is behind us and despite not getting to our usual final checklist of 240 species, we stillmanagedto get a nice assembly of species, some not very commonly seen neither at any of the past festivals nor every spring like these Hill Sparrow,Black Bush Robins &PharaohEagle Owland no less than 3 […]
Red kite up close
Mivus milvus – Accipitriformes – Accitridae – Their population is very low compared to that of the Black kite. Only 2500 to 3000 couples are known in France and 20 000 elsewhere, mostly in Europe. Their wingspan exceeds easily 1.50 m; as with almost all other raptors the female is the largest. I feel quite […]
Bald Eagle Festival in Sheffield Mills, Nova Scotia
Bald Eagles (Haliaeetusleucocephalus) had always visited Kings County during the winter months to feed on shellfish found along the Bay of Fundy mud flats. Chicken parts thrown out by the large number of chicken farmers in the area supplemented the diet of these eagles andattracted them to the area in large numbers.For thepast 20 year […]
Orange County (California) Birds of Prey
Of all the subjects I photograph, birds of prey are my favorite. These predators are birds that hunt for food primarily via flight, using their keen senses, especially vision. Many different species call Orange County, California their home. With some moderate hiking and a small dose of patience, it is possible to capture most of […]