mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov (David Mostardi) (06/09/89)
On Tuesday 6/6, I was in the Dallas suburb of Highland Park. I was having a late (8:30 pm) dinner at an outdoor cafe, when... An unknown raptor flew overhead. I had my binoculars, but it was so dark that I could not make out many features. The shape suggested a falcon: sleek wings, strong wingbeats, and occasional steep dives. Two individuals spent the next 20 minutes overhead; the call was a short ascending squawk, perhaps 10/min. The only field mark I would swear to were white 'elbow' patches, both on the bottom and tops of the wings. I can't swear to a white throat patch. The aggravating part is that I can't find *any* raptor which resembles what I saw. Any help out in birderland? Thanks ****************************************************************** David Mostardi "Guess what, Dad! Those chocolate MSRI, Berkeley diskettes fit right into your mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov computer, no problem!"
john@nmtsun.nmt.edu (John Shipman) (06/09/89)
David Mostardi (mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov) writes: >On Tuesday 6/6...An unknown raptor flew overhead. >...The shape suggested a falcon: sleek wings, >strong wingbeats, and occasional steep dives... >call was a short ascending squawk, perhaps 10/min. >...white 'elbow' patches, both on the bottom and tops of the >wings. I can't swear to a white throat patch. Did you consider the kites? I saw a bird yesterday and was trying to make it into a falcon because it had pointed wings and a longtail, but its wingbeats came steadily and slowly, while the big falcons tend to flap in bursts and then glide. The fact that you couldn't see any field marks suggests that maybe the bird was not strongly patterned. I think the bird you saw might have been the same species I saw: Mississippi Kite. -- John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, New Mexico USENET: ucbvax!unmvax!nmtsun!john CSNET: john@nmtsun.nmt.edu ``A lesson from past over-machined societies...the devices themselves condition the users to employ each other the way they employ machines.'' --Frank Herbert
tjo@edsel.siemens.com (Tom Ostrand) (06/10/89)
> features. The shape suggested a falcon: sleek wings, > strong wingbeats, and occasional steep dives. Two > individuals spent the next 20 minutes overhead; the > call was a short ascending squawk, perhaps 10/min. > > The only field mark I would swear to were white > 'elbow' patches, both on the bottom and tops of the > wings. I can't swear to a white throat patch. I would suggest a NIGHTHAWK. Everything you describe supports this, especially the white elbow patches. Do you remember the bird's size? Nighthawks overhead seem to be somewhere between jays sand crows. The steep dives could be male courtship displaying. Tom Ostrand (tostrand@cadillac.siemens.com) Siemens Research Laboratories 755 College Road East Princeton, NJ 08540 (609)-734-6569 -- Tom Ostrand (tostrand@cadillac.siemens.com) Siemens Research Laboratories 755 College Road East Princeton, NJ 08540 (609)-734-6569
lrasmuss@dante.nmsu.edu (Linda Rasmussen) (06/10/89)
Regarding the raptor in the dusk question... > An unknown raptor flew overhead. I had my binoculars, > but it was so dark that I could not make out many > features. The shape suggested a falcon: sleek wings, > strong wingbeats, and occasional steep dives. Two > individuals spent the next 20 minutes overhead; the > call was a short ascending squawk, perhaps 10/min. > > The only field mark I would swear to were white > 'elbow' patches, both on the bottom and tops of the > wings. I can't swear to a white throat patch. > Would you swear this was not a Nighthawk (probably Common Nighthawk in Dallas)? The time of day, diving flight, and white elbow patches all fit, as does the possible white throat patch. Nighthawks don't have white on *top* of the wings, though, but I think that could be mistaken in the field. I had to look it up in the book myself because I couldn't remember, even though I see them (Lesser) all the time. Another difference from what you describe is that the Common Nighthawk call is more like a short, sour, plucked banjo string. Still, it sounds an awful lot like a nighthawk. Did you see anything else that would eliminate this as a possibility? Linda Rasmussen lrasmuss@dante.nmsu.edu New Mexico State University (505)646-5598
jimf@ihlpf.ATT.COM (YES) (06/12/89)
In article <2795@helios.ee.lbl.gov>, mostardi@ux1.lbl.gov (David Mostardi) writes: > On Tuesday 6/6, I was in the Dallas suburb of Highland > Park. I was having a late (8:30 pm) dinner at an > outdoor cafe, when... > > An unknown raptor flew overhead. I had my binoculars, > but it was so dark that I could not make out many > features. The shape suggested a falcon: sleek wings, > > The only field mark I would swear to were white > 'elbow' patches, both on the bottom and tops of the > wings. I can't swear to a white throat patch. How about a nighthawk? They usually come out about dark!
zcnj01@gpb6.uucp (Cecil N. Jones) (06/13/89)
(David Mostardi) writes: > On Tuesday 6/6, I was in the Dallas suburb of Highland > Park. I was having a late (8:30 pm) dinner at an > outdoor cafe, when... > > An unknown raptor flew overhead. The shape suggested a falcon: > sleek wings, strong wingbeats, and occasional steep dives. > the call was a short ascending squawk > > The only field mark I would swear to were white > 'elbow' patches, both on the bottom and tops of the > wings. > Sounds like a nighthawk (nightjar or goatsucker family). Common in this part of the country, and they come out early evening to catch flying insects. Cecil N. Jones Amoco Production Co. Tulsa, OK @apctrc.uucp The opinions expressed are solely my own.