Eagles or large hawks?

[ChrisLynnet]

I'm trying to identify a pair of birds I saw while walking the fire road that runs just off Table Mountain. They were just beautiful -- very large. I spotted one not far above the tree tops of the tallest pines and then he soared much higher, but  large wingspread. I thought at first it was a golden eagle and he might be, but I don't know if we have large hawks here as well. He was a light brown so I thought maybe that was too light for the goldens? He was flying in a clear sky in bright sunlight though so maybe that was it. Then he was joined by another bird and they circled and flew together.

They were magnificent! I just wish I knew what they were!

Oh, and one of them screamed, but I don't know how to differentiate that between a hawk or an eagle.

Either way, it was quite a gift to watch them.

[clint]

Well, a hawk sound is "vote republican, vote republican" while an eagle has a high pitched screech.

One way to identify a Raptor in flight is by the wing and tail shape. Color gets tricky looking up into the sky.
It's a bit to many choices to cover here, but the Peterson Field Guide - Western Birds has very nice images from under the bird in flight for reference.

[ChrisLynnet]

"vote republican" -- my dad would like hawks.   

They must have been eagles then, it was the classic high-pitched scream/shriek that you hear on nature shows and movies with eagles. And they looked awfully big to be hawks anyway... I'm thrilled to have seen and heard them! And thanks for the recommendation about the field guide. 

[RobertW]

I've seen VERY large Red Tailed hawks above Table Mountain and Blue Ridge.  Their wingspans were 4 feet.  But I've also seen Eagles in the same places.

The Red Tail Hawk is colored as you described but the tail has a definate "redness" to it.

[ChrisLynnet]

I wondered if they might be large hawks, but there was no red in the tail. And that distinctive cry makes me certain they were eagles. But red-tailed hawks would be quite a sight too, I didn't know they were that large. I am DEFINITELY getting that field guide!

[gypsywolf]

Be careful! Consider this a warning 

Bird-watching is a terribly addicting habit.

You can go to Google images and type in "red tail soaring" and "golden eagle soaring" and see if you can recognize from the photos.

One of the things I look for when trying to identify soaring raptors is the wing tips. Goldens Eagles have long "fingers" that are fairly easily seen in the silhouette.  Red-Tails have them, but they are not nearly as long.

Have fun!

[Janie]

[ChrisLynnet]

Be careful! Consider this a warning 

Bird-watching is a terribly addicting habit.

LOL! I'm starting to see that.

[ChrisLynnet]

"it was the classic high-pitched scream/shriek that you hear on nature shows and movies with eagles."

The red-tailed hawk scream is often used by the media for eagles. In fact, for all the golden eagles I've seen in these canyons, I've never heard one!

Interesting! That deepens the mystery. I took gypsywolf's advice and looked up red tailed hawks and golden eagles in flight. I am 100% sure that what I saw was the golden eagle. (Two of them.) The color, shape, proportion of the wingspan and long fingers were exactly right.

So I'm thinking that when I heard the eagle scream, my imagination might be investing it with more volume than there actually was. It's probably dramatizing it a bit with what I know best -- the hawk scream from the media. Thinking back it wasn't very loud and I heard it when the first eagle was just clearing the treetops. It sounded faint to me although it was clear. So if the cry is not as robust, that would fit with the relative closeness of the eagle. It's also possible what I was hearing was its mate (I am assuming its mate anyway) as she/he shortly joined the first one.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for helping me ID these gorgeous birds!

[samsonite]

Actually, I saw two Harris Hawks that sound similar.  I saw them gliding over a ridge above the road to Jackson Flat Campground.  One was screeching.

I had parked at Grassy Hollow and went into the visitor center right after  and they had a stuffed Harris hawk.  Those were the birds I saw.  The ones I saw had white patches about 4 inches away from the end of the wingtips underneath the wings.  The info located at GH said that they do screech a loud kaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr.  I couldn't really make out color except that it was dark in contrast to the white patches. 

[Janie]

Hello,

We have a stuffed badger at Chilao Visitor Center and a stuffed beaver at Mt. Baldy Visitor Center. Both were "gifts". Neither live around here.

I suspect the Harris hawk at Grassy Hollow was one of those donations


This is a Harris hawk in flight. It lives in southern Texas.



This is a red-tailed hawk in flight.



Here is graphic that helps to distinguish between hawks and eagles in flight. A red-tailed hawk is a buteo.

[Janie]

Swainson's hawks are migrating through right now. They are much darker than red-tails, but have that white "window".

Swainson's Hawks are complete migrants, breeding in North America [Alberta and Saskatchewan] and wintering in the pampas of southern South America; a round trip journey of over 20,000 km.

It is miraculous to me how these birds and others like them can travel so far!!

[ForestGal]

What incredible pictures, Janie!  Did you take those photos? 

And a couple of questions - what are those long "string" thingies that seem to be attached to two of the birds' legs in the above pics?  And what "nasty" looking beaks, I certainly wouldn't want to tangle with one.  Would a bird of that size, be able to carry off a 10-lb. wiener dog, if the dog wasn't on a leash and protected by her mommy?  I never let my dog off leash while up in the forest, but she spends hours in our back yard, alone (with mommy home, of course, but that could happen instantaneously....).....

[Janie]

[samsonite]

Ok, so now I'm really confused.  What the heck did I see?

(And as a further question...why does Grassy Hollow have stuffed bodies of animals we don't have? LOL)

[Janie]

You saw a pair of magnificent birds. You will see them again and when you do, you will know features to look for. Then you can name them, and say: I saw MY birds again, they are xxxx.

Most nature centers I know have donations of stuffed birds which are displayed for a variety of reasons ...

1) You can't say no, we don't want your bird, not good manners. And you can't get rid of it. People will come back and look for it to show their friends or family or will want it back again for their grandchild's scout or school project. [both true cases]

2) The  person who works there doesn't know that the bird or animal is not local.The bird was there before the person. The person may be elsewhere where it is common. [true case]

3) The bird may be there on purpose to attract attention. At a place where I worked weekends there was a stuffed pair of Gambel's quail on the counter next to the donation box.These quail had never ever been seen in this location. But ... kids love to pet them, and then dad or mom reaches into their pockets for a few bucks!

[SkierBob]

(And as a further question...why does Grassy Hollow have stuffed bodies of animals we don't have? LOL)

I can only suspect because whomever is in charge doesn't know any better.   

It's lame to pollute a display of species or artifacts that are native to an area by displaying species and artifacts from out of the area.

I wasn't aware they did this at Grassy Hollow,, although it does remind me of all the non-native crap displayed at the Antelope Valley Indian museum. 

[Chesslike]

Sort of off topic, but not really, the Lytle Creek Ranger Station/Visitor Center has a great display of stuffed animals and reptiles. It is really quite an impressive collection and is worth the trip. Now in regards to this topic, they have quite a few birds on display, but I don't remember what, if any, eagles and hawks are on display. Maybe someone else on the forum would know.

[Hillbillies]

Sort of off topic, but not really, the Lytle Creek Ranger Station/Visitor Center has a great display of stuffed animals and reptiles. It is really quite an impressive collection and is worth the trip. Now in regards to this topic, they have quite a few birds on display, but I don't remember what, if any, eagles and hawks are on display. Maybe someone else on the forum would know.

Bob, we have not been there.  Thanks for the tip.  Have you been to the SB County Museum off the 10.  We were there a few years ago and I remember they had a wide variety of stuffed birds on display.  Bald eagles, hawks, etc....  They also have a stuffed California Condor on display that is really impressive....

[wrightwoodgirl]

WE LIVE ON HWY 2 BELOW MTN HIGH AND WE HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL HAWKS THAT CIRCLE OUR AREA EVERY MORNING  AND EARLY AFTERNOON