Monday, August 24, 2015

A Mob Mentality

Why do birds mob?

User OutRIAAge02/Wikimedia creative commons
Photo Credit:  User OutRIAAge02/Wikimedia creative commons

Ever seen a group of chickadees take on a much larger Hawk? A group of Blue Jays harass a larger Raven out of your yard? Or even a group of birds harassing a fox? You probably have asked yourself, "Why would a much smaller bird risk their lives to take on a much bigger bird?"  Well, just like people, birds have strength in numbers.  

I have always been interested in bird behavior not just identifying birds.  It is fascinating to watch what will happen next.  Sometimes, the behavior is completely what you thought  it would be  and then there are the times that the result is completely unexpected.  Mobbing is one of these behaviors. You would think these smaller bird would run and hide from the "Big Bad Hawk" but they do the direct opposite. 

There are many theories to why these birds mob larger predators.  They range from: protecting their young, alerting others of a predator in the area, distracting predators so much they don't think it is worth the effort to hunt in the area, to alerting larger predators that a smaller predator is  "right there".  I think there is probably several reasons why birds mob predators and all seem to be associated with removing the danger from the area.  I have to say I have never seen a mobbing by a group of birds actually not work in making the predator leave the area.  They usually leave in a hurry!  There is probably some risk associated with this behavior but I think the risk greatly outweighs the rewards.  

Share your stories of "mobbing" in the comments below or on the Facebook page.





Monday, August 17, 2015

Which is Which-The Answers

Golden Eagle or Bald Eagle? How did you do?

1.) 

Answer- Immature Bald Eagle

The almost complete brown color says Golden Eagle but the heavy large beak gives this away as probably a first year immature Bald Eagle.  The Immature Bald Eagle varies in color and usually gets more white patches as it gets older.  The "bald" head, yellow beak and white tail feathers of an adult Bald Eagle usually takes 4 to 5 years to develop. Thanks to Karen C for the great shot.  

2.)

photo credit: Juan Lacruz/Wikimedia Creative Commons

Answer- Adult Golden Eagle

The "golden head" shows up well in this photograph.  The smaller "hawk like" bill gives this away as an adult Golden Eagle.  Also note the smaller size head of the Golden Eagle.  Bald Eagles have much larger heads than the Golden Eagle.

3.)

photo credit: Pat Gaines/Creative Commons




Answer- Golden Eagle

The smaller size beak and Golden brown head makes this one a Golden Eagle.  The interesting thing about this photograph is the white patches on the wings and tail.  This one is probably an immature Golden Eagle.  An adult Golden Eagle would have all brown wings and a pattern of white and brown stripes.  

4.)



Answer- Immature Bald Eagle

The heavy bill gives this one away as an Immature Bald Eagle.  Also with the wings up, we can see the varied patches of white that is common in an immature.  The larger head can also be used to ID this one.  The third year Immature Bald Eagle would have much more white everywhere on its body.  This would make this one a younger immature, probably a first year.  Sadly only, 50% of Bald Eagles live past their first year of life.  Thanks again to Karen C for the great shot.

5.)

photo credit: unknown/creative commons image was removed after used
  Answer- Immature Golden Eagle

Again the bill size and smaller head gives this one away as a Golden Eagle.  The patches on the wings and solid white part on the tail identifies it as an immature.  

I hope you enjoyed this ID test and learned how to better ID these large Birds of Prey.  Stay tuned for more tricky bird IDs and thank you all for your support.  


Friday, August 14, 2015

Which Is Which?

Golden Eagle or Bald Eagle? Can you Tell?

Another tough ID for birders is the Golden Eagle or Immature Bald Eagle.  The size, color, and some overlapping range can make this difficult one.  I was lucky enough to monitor two Bald Eagle nests in Colorado for three years.  This experience helped me to spot some key differences that make identifying these large birds of prey apart. Lets test your ID skills.

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5.)


Did you know all of them?  Share your answers in the comments or comment on the Facebook page here.  I will acknowledge the photos in the answer post so not to give away anything.  Stay tuned for the answer post.