Fluff Post

[kyburg]

Comments

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

Absolutely beautiful!

[kimberlychapman.livejournal.com]

Very cool. It's almost glowing. Wonderful photography.

Raptor

[bitpig.livejournal.com]

That looks like a Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, one of my favorite birds. (I like to goof around with birding when I have time.) North Texas is thick with them. In fact, I saw one take a prey on the freeway verge just yesterday. He glided across my path on a direct vector to his prey (most prey animals can't detect something coming staight at them, only side-to-side movement), popped up suddenly over his quarry at 0 AGL, then BAM! nailed him with those razor-sharp talons in the tall grass. mmm, dinner — probably a nice jackrabbit!

I have found tears in my eyes on more than one occasion while watching a redtail. How anyone can observe such a heartbreakingly lovely work of living art and doubt the existence of an Artist behind it all is beyond me.

Re: Raptor

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Or find it any less worthy of life or frankly, any less of a life than yours or mine. *nods firmly*

Incredible stuff, neh?

I love birds. It never gets old.

Re: Raptor

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know. My family moved to Denton in 1958 and mostly have been there ever since. While my husband was in school we lived at the U.N.T. observatory for several years. That is where I saw a red tailed hawk grab a feral cat. it was awesome to behold. The cat looked as big as the hawk. Thankfully, our cat was indoors.

[pseudicide.livejournal.com]

OOOH! Pretty though

Re: Raptor

[natsumi.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's a redtail, they have a white breast white a stripe of dark speckles across the middle. They are also much more brown on the wings. Hmm, I should look this up.

Re: Raptor

[natsumi.livejournal.com]

Got out my bird book. It's either a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Can't tell the difference without looking at the tail, but the Sharped-shinned is much more common and so more likely.

[poetpaladin.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

Re: Raptor

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

I can look at a lovely bird, find its life of equal value with my own, and remain a Pagan or an agnostic (when it comes to the existence of a white-bearded old man in the sky) quite easily. :-)

Thank you for sharing that pic! Raptors are a favorite of mine.

[arkibet.livejournal.com]

Kawaii!!

And a birder pipes in

[miwasatoshi.livejournal.com]

*grabs his weather-beaten Sibley Guide*

When we're not sure about Accipiter IDs, we call 'em Cooper-shinned Hawks. ^_^ Proportionally, the body shape fits better with a Sharp-shinned, and it has much more rufous on the face than a Cooper's.

Interestingly, here in Arizona, Cooper's Hawks are ten times as common as Sharpies (sort of the reverse of the rest of the country). They are also larger (though female Sharpies and male Cooper's are VERY similar in size).

Birding = FUN!

[miwasatoshi.livejournal.com]

Many cultures even to this day consider the creatures themselves to be the Artists.

Re: And a birder pipes in

[natsumi.livejournal.com]

:-) Thanks for the info.