Outdoor Ontario

Request for Information => Bird ID => Topic started by: Jaedon on February 11, 2007, 10:54:21 AM

Title: In Florida but in need of an ID
Post by: Jaedon on February 11, 2007, 10:54:21 AM

There's a pair of these guys that seem very comfortable with the people around the house we're staying in near Orlando Florida. (Davenport Florida to be exact)

Can anyone help me with the ID?

(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3379/heron3af2.jpg)

(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/576/heron4fy6.jpg)

(http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1677/heron5zo6.jpg)

Title: Florida ID
Post by: Leslie Kinrys on February 11, 2007, 11:28:52 AM

Hi Jaedon,

Lucky you to be in Florida. Enjoy the birding. The friendly birds are Sandhill Cranes.

Title:
Post by: Jaedon on February 11, 2007, 12:12:09 PM

Thanks Leslie,

They really are beautiful birds.  They are so tame they actually poseed for me... my 4 year old even got some nice shots with his point and shoot and they let him get within about 10 feet before I could grab him and hold him back.  He is learning how to be a responsible birder and to take only pictures and leave only footprints...and he LOVES cameras... I think I have a protoge in the making lol.

Now here's a few more for ID... I think they are a typr of vulture from what I can see.  I have a few different angles but they're all different indivivual birds that I believe are the same species.

(http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/4858/vulturecs7.jpg)

(http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/2511/vulture2wt9.jpg)

(http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/876/vulture3nj1.jpg)

Title: turkey vulture
Post by: Napper on February 11, 2007, 01:45:46 PM

looks like a Turkey Vulture

Napper :lol:

Title: Turkey Vultures
Post by: Iain on February 11, 2007, 01:46:52 PM

You've got a Turkey Vulture there.  Keep your eye out for black vultures as well while you're down there.  They're smaller than Turkey Vultures and lack the pink head.  They flap their wings a lot more and have silvery wingtips.

Good birding,
Iain

Title:
Post by: Jaedon on February 11, 2007, 03:40:11 PM

Thanks folks.  I have an image where I can count 15 - 16 in a flock flying around in circles (although no circling anything in particular) and there are 2 distinct sizes.  The smaller ones kept their distance however so I have yet to get a decent shot of them even with a 500 mm lens.  But it's only day 1 of a 2 week visit and the vultures are only a 100 foot walk to the end of the roadway.

It seems that Herons and Cranes fly around with these guys also.  Do they share a food source?  I watched the cranes catching mice and frogs this morning but they were out of range for a decent shot..but they sure gave me a show.

I have so much to learn about birding.  I have been spending more time learning photography so now I can turn my attentions to bird knowledge again.