Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: mr.sharp-photo on April 30, 2009, 06:49:19 PM

Title: IDing a bird near Don River...read on
Post by: mr.sharp-photo on April 30, 2009, 06:49:19 PM

Hope you can help me out.
my fiancee and i were jogging today when we saw a large bird fly over us. we spotted it in a tree later on.

here's the description:

it has a greyish colour.
has legs that makes me think its a water fowl.
it was the size of a huge gull and had a very large wingspan.
looked like a heron when flying, but didn't have what i would guess was a typical heron wing shape.
its face kind of looked like a large version of a mourning dove.
it was roosted in the tree for a few minutes and then gracefully and slowly took off and flew away.

i don't recall seeing this bird before. again, would have guessed it was a heron but didn't look like a GBH or black crowned night heron.

any links to any pictures or any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

Title: BCNH
Post by: Ron Luft on May 01, 2009, 09:33:20 AM

I might stay with BCN Heron as likeliest. Angles of view and perceptions can be deceiving. Barring a raptor (Coopers H., Sharpie, Goshawk, Harrier) it's a tough guess. Like the fisherman's story; 'this may be one that got away'.

Title:
Post by: GStuart on May 01, 2009, 10:25:56 AM

If it's not a Black-crowned Night-heron (which fits the greyish descriptor), there is also the heron-like American Bittern.

Title:
Post by: mr.sharp-photo on May 01, 2009, 11:19:45 AM

Quote from: "GStuart"

If it's not a Black-crowned Night-heron (which fits the greyish descriptor), there is also the heron-like American Bittern.

looked at some pictures online and it definitely looked like the american bittern (but more grey):

(http://www.geocities.com/tgrey41/AmericanBittern07.jpg)

thanks!

Title:
Post by: Brian Bailey on May 02, 2009, 12:41:39 AM

I suspect you saw a first year Black-crowned Night-Heron.  At this time of year they can still look much like a Bittern, but duller.

When I first moved to Toronto, I couldn't believe how many Bitterns I was seeing until I finally realized they were young night-herons.  Since then, I'm not sure if I've ever seen a Bittern in the city.

BB

Title:
Post by: cocosally on May 02, 2009, 02:15:46 PM

I have enclosed an immature BCNH, does it look like this one? This is my husband photo album, the immature one does look like Ammerican Bittern (I 1st thought I saw an American Bittern)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91706784@N00/2788639607/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/91706784@N00/2788639607/)