something very cool - hawks

[globetrotter]

I have been noticing and enjoying birds lately. my garden has soem great robins and blue birds and the occasional cardinal, and I see hawks pretty often. yesterday I saw 30 hawks on a tree about 5 pm. I don't know what type of hawks they were, but they were about 15 inches tall. I noticed them because I saw about 10 in the air in one place and watched them land, and then counted the ones already landed.

I find hawks very cool, because when I was a kid they were so rare.

as I understand that they are not social animals, anybody here know anyting about birds and may know why all these birds would be together?

 

[Augusto86]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

I have been noticing and enjoying birds lately. my garden has soem great robins and blue birds and the occasional cardinal, and I see hawks pretty often. yesterday I saw 30 hawks on a tree about 5 pm. I don't know what type of hawks they were, but they were about 15 inches tall. I noticed them because I saw about 10 in the air in one place and watched them land, and then counted the ones already landed.

I find hawks very cool, because when I was a kid they were so rare.

as I understand that they are not social animals, anybody here know anyting about birds and may know why all these birds would be together?
Are you sure they weren't ravens or large crows of some sort? I like to watch out for cool birds like hawks as well, and I've NEVER seen more than 2 at a time. 10 or more would be very odd. While crows/ravens exhibit some hawk like behavior and have a similar harsh cry.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

A collection of aviary excellence perhaps.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Augusto86

Are you sure they weren't ravens or large crows of some sort? I like to watch out for cool birds like hawks as well, and I've NEVER seen more than 2 at a time. 10 or more would be very odd. While crows/ravens exhibit some hawk like behavior and have a similar harsh cry.

Honestly I am not sure of anything in terms of birds, I really don't know them that well. but they really didn't look like crows or ravens from the structure of the wings and beaks, and they were different shades of brown, not the black that I would assosiate with ravens or crows. Crows are a bird that is very common in jerusalem, so I know how they look pretty well. these birds were also circling, before landing, in a way that I wouldn't assosiate with crows or ravens, but in that I may be wrong. I also thought that they might be something like turkey buzzards or something similar - I don't know enough about what those look like in flight to tell.

 

[Tyto]

Globe:

A picture would help.

Also, what general region of the states? (Are you in the states right now?)

Cooper's hawks (Accipiter cooperii) come immediately to mind for me: they are considered to be relatively social, are fairly common, and are distributed throughout North America almost year-round.

A good picture of a Cooper (and a close lookalike, the more rare and, IIRC, asocial sharp-shinned hawk) is here:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/Abo...terIDtable.htm

Edit: Here's a link to an in-flight shot of a Cooper: http://www.fow.org/images/coopershawk.jpg

Further Edit: I just asked a friend who would be considered an expert on these matters. Another possibility is the black vulture. They will roost together (thought they don't "flock"), and they can look kinda like big, dark brown hawks, especially in flight:

Profile: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAbou...k_Vulture.html

In flight: http://content.ornith.cornell.edu/UE...image05132.JPG

 

[Tck13]

Turkey vultures are similar looking to hawks (IMO). Here is a link: http://vulturesociety.homestead.com/

I went on a small hike a couple of weekends ago up to the Appalachain Trail (in PA) and saw several birds (either hawks or turkey vultures) just riding the wind at the top of the mountain. Quite peaceful to watch. They seemed to just be riding the wind that was coming up the mountain. Of course, once they saw us hiking they dissapeared.

I can never tell the difference between vultures and hawks but it seems vultures are bigger.

I think this is probably what you saw because they tend to gather in groups.

 

[globetrotter]

thanks guys, yes, they were turkey vultures. I am used to vultures having longer necks, which threw me. but when I see the profile of the head and the wings in flight from the picture, that is what is was. thanks tck13.

strangly enough, Tyto, I told my wife "this is really amazing, there is only one type of hawk that hunts in groups, and I think that they are only indiginous to the south west" - I was thinking about cooper's hawks, which I saw a documentary on a few years ago, although the name escaped me.

I am outside of new york city, I was driving just south of bear mountain when I saw these birds.

 

[j]

I recently saw 2 or 3 bald eagles circling together over Lake Washington on my commute. Pretty amazing birds. Plus I hear they are off the endangered species list now, so I can finally find out how they taste.

 

[Saucemaster]

Originally Posted by j

Plus I hear they are off the endangered species list now, so I can finally find out how they taste.

They taste like freedom, j. They taste like freedom.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by Saucemaster

They taste like freedom, j. They taste like freedom.
Great, then I know what kind of fries to eat with them!