Identyfying the Golden Eagle in Manitoba

Early spring and late fall is the time to be on the look out for Golden Eagles, a very uncommon species in Manitoba. Of course, you always have to be careful to distinguish immature Bald Eagles from Goldens (probably at least 99 out of every 100 brown-headed eagles you see in Manitoba will be immature Bald Eagles) so I am sharing these four photos of a Golden Eagle (prob. 2nd cycle), two perched from front and back and two in flight showing underparts and upperparts. I photographed this bird on a Nature Conservancy of Canada property south of Riding Mountain National Park in early October (thanx Sandra for the nudge – better late than never, eh!)

Things to look for include in this series of images:

*    golden nape patch of GOEA shows in all plumages but can be hard to see on a soaring bird (always look for this feature)

*    small-headed appearance of GOEA, esp. in flight (BAEA head and bill more elongated and “stick out” more from body)

*    the tail pattern of GOEA is distinctive but be aware of the difference between immature that show a very distinctive white band and adults that show much less white in tail (subtle bands) and compare the extent of white in the various plumages of immature Bald Eagle

*    larger size of GOEA sometimes useful but difficult to judge in field and , as always with raptors, be aware of size difference between the sexes

*    typically darker colouration of GOEA than immature BAEA, although this can be tricky to judge under field conditions

Also worth noting:

*    size compared to Canada Geese in photo (they were passing by – eagle not chasing them)

*    regrowing primaries on this bird that give the wing an odd shape

*    for ageing of this bird, look for the limited white in the underwing and the partially translucent effect at the base of the primaries, along with a relatively limited amount of white in the tail (e.g. note how when viewed from underside no white visible but when fanned and viewed from above a white band is clearly present, even though not quite as extensive nor as defined nor as contrasting as a first year bird) and also more gold in the shoulder than a first year bird

*    the sheer awesomeness of this creature!

All the best to all the best!

Introducing the Fulvous Owl (Strix fulvescens)

The Fulvous Owl (Strix fulvescens) is a close relative of the Barred Owl that is endemic to Central America (from southernmost Mexico south to Honduras). As is often the case when one genus has representatives in the tropic and the temperate zones, this tropical species is smaller (41 – 44 cm) than their northern cousin the Barred Owl Owl (48 – 55 cm). The Fulvous Owl is also darker and richer in colour (the word “fulvous” describing the warm reddish brown tones of this bird) and has a very distinctive 6-note song. The yellow eyelids are also an interesting feature that I have not read about previously. This is a poorly known species that resides in submontane pine-oak and montane cloud forest from approx 1200 m ASL to 3000 m ASL. Despite limited data, it is suspected to be in decline due to habitat loss in its restricted range. La Tigra National Park in Honduras, San Pedro Volcano in Guatemala, and El Triunfo in Mexico are some good sites to try to find this species (also in El Salvador). I took these four photo recently in La Tigra, Honduras.

 This last photo shows the Fulvous Owl singing (notice the throat feathers are extended).

Least Bittern: Shoal Lakes IBA

Special thanks to Donna Martin for sharing her sightings of  Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) in the Shoal Lakes Important Bird Area. I decided to try to photograph them this morning and had enormous success photographing a male and an immature bird (probably hatch year male: note for example the black feathers with fine white tips coming through on the mantle). I was delighted to manage a series of behavioral observations: I loved the way they sneak around like mice and their fishing technique, especially how one wing would open during the back lurch (after the initial forward trust) as a balancing mechanism. I also enjoyed how they would shake their fish after catching them (presumably to kill them before swallowing) and the way they shook their whole body sideways when ingesting larger prey items (presumably to help gravity along!). They were also remarkably dexterous at manipulating prey items with the very tip of the bill. Most amazing of all to watch though, was the incredible flexibility in the legs and feet that enabled them to walk through the reeds clinging to vertical stems with ease! Here is a series of 21 photos that illustrate some of the above points:

Here is the male with his jet black back, fishing on a rock...

In this photo, you can see the bitterns' famous trick of looking forward "under" the bill...

 

 And here are two more poses of the male fishing...

These next photos are of a different bird with darker markings than the male, although there are black feathers mixed in with the otherwise brown back, which lead me to believe this might be a juvenile male... These first photos show how good at fishing was, catching several fish of different sizes while I watched:

I was impressed by the bittern's ability to handle tiny fry with the very tip of the bill as seen here...

The observations I most enjoyed was watching this Least Bitterns creep through the reeds, especially the amazing legs and huge feet that seemed capable of bending to extreme angles to grip whatever necessary. Watch as the bittern appears through the reeds, bending their body around the narrow gaps between them...

The feet are angled outward to grasp vertical reeds

here are a few photos of the bittern's stride wit hthe amazing reach of those large feet:

In this next shot the bittern had turned 90 degrees - note how the back leg is perpendicular to the body (impressive and graceful!)

A few poses to finish:

A long awaited photo opportunity of this elusive and Threatened (COSEWIC) species!

MISSISSIPPI KITE in Winnipeg!

An amazing finale to the 5^th and final field season for the Manitoba was confirmed breeding of Mississippi Kites in a riverside suburb of Winnipeg. You can see me talking about this incredible find on Breakfast Television Winnipeg at: http://www.btwinnipeg.ca/videos/3725151058001/

This species has been expanding northward and has been increasingly taking advantage of well treed suburbs so in some ways their appearance in Winnipeg makes sense; however, none of us foresaw them getting quite this far north quite so quickly. I got back from the field today and had my turn for a brief visit with the city’s illustrious guest and their downy nestling…

Here is the chick on August 6th - growing rapidly! More to follow...