Harris Hawk

[Jjm]

I woke up and staggered downstairs to put the kettle on just as the mrs was taking the dog out she shouted at me to come and look and there was a huge Harris Hawk sitting on top of a telegraph pole with a guy in a landrover shouting at it so i ran upstairs grabbed the camera threw a 300mm lens on it and ran back down and they were gone

 

[Just Dave]

what a shame theyd gone, always the case

 

[nilagin]

Pest controllers come in with them at work to scare off the pidgeons that get into the factory. Beautiful birds that do like to swoop low over unsuspecting peoples heads. They come in several times a year and I never tire of seeing them.

 

[specialman]

Lovely birds. Real spindly, long legs if I remember rightly. Aren't they native of areas in S. America where snakes are the prey, hence the long legs?

A mate of mine bought one while we were doing a wildlife illustration degree and he took it out trying to hunt rabbit. In the end it just sat in a tree and then flew off into the hills

 

[nikongaz]

Lovely birds. Real spindly, long legs if I remember rightly. Aren't they native of areas in S. America where snakes are the prey, hence the long legs?

A mate of mine bought one while we were doing a wildlife illustration degree and he took it out trying to hunt rabbit. In the end it just sat in a tree and then flew off into the hills

unfortunatly to much of a common acurance now, people buying them thinking they look good, but do not realise how difficult they are to train and get them flying at there potential, i have 2 that i fly a few times a week for pest control and not had 1 go wondering even for 5mins let alone a long period.

 

[gogless]

I have a friend at work who's son hunts with a female haris there's not mutch gets away from it from rabits to wood pidgeons nasty little buggers when they are in the mood

 

[Cobra]

Lovely birds. Real spindly, long legs if I remember rightly. Aren't they native of areas in S. America where snakes are the prey, hence the long legs?

A mate of mine bought one while we were doing a wildlife illustration degree and he took it out trying to hunt rabbit. In the end it just sat in a tree and then flew off into the hills

They are a central / South American species.
Mostly fur orientated but will take birds, small reptiles and even scavenge.
They are very adaptable
The males do tend to have the appearance of "long legs"
But I don't think that its an evolution thing as snakes are quite well down
on the menu.

Retails have quite short legs and powerful stumpy toes.
They make short work of snakes too

 

[Cobra]

This is a female, quite thick set compared to the male below.
Its not really a good shot of the legs and feet, but you can see they are quite "chunky"
Compared to the males

 

[cyclamens]

This is a female, quite thick set compared to the male below.
Its not really a good shot of the legs and feet, but you can see they are quite "chunky"
Compared to the males

Stunning images of quite majestic birds

 

[Cobra]

Thanks

(There are loads more where they came from )

Oh did I hear you say "Majestic"?
Guess what happens when an in-experienced bird tries to land with a strong wind behind it?

(She was fine BTW they do this sort of thing all the time, until they learn to land up wind instead of down.)

 

[specialman]

Cobra - good work. My memory is refreshed now

My 'mate' (more an acquaintance) fancied himself as a bit of an outdoorsman, probably because he had some Timberland boots and some stubble and had gone for a walk once

He kept it in his room for a few days but soon realised it was a bad idea. He moved it to the aviary at college where the warden was more than happy to help tend to it on a temporary basis while matey found more suitable accommodation for it. He then got hold of a pair of iguanas that he kept in his room.... bonkers.

College was great in that respect; we had an animal house where we had loads of reptiles to watch and draw, plus a massive aviary area containing a peregrine, little owl, tawny owl, eagle owl, a buzzard (called Bruce I think), and a kestrel. The warden flew the hawks regularly and all the birds were brought into the classroom for life studies. It was a real pleasure to get that close to the birds, especially the peregrine, the Buzzard and the eagle owl..... the eagle owl was massive, I couldn't believe the size of its feet and talons. Not sure if it was the eurasian or north american variant.

We had a chance now and then to get involved in the flying, plus looking after all the animals as part of out course to get a better understanding of the animals we drew.

Good times

 

[Cobra]

Cobra - good work. My memory is refreshed now

My 'mate' (more an acquaintance) fancied himself as a bit of an outdoorsman, probably because he had some Timberland boots and some stubble and had gone for a walk once

(don't know why I am laughing, I have "mates" like that too

College was great in that respect; we had an animal house where we had loads of reptiles to watch and draw, plus a massive aviary area containing a peregrine, little owl, tawny owl, eagle owl, a buzzard (called Bruce I think), and a kestrel. The warden flew the hawks regularly and all the birds were brought into the classroom for life studies. It was a real pleasure to get that close to the birds, especially the peregrine, the Buzzard and the eagle owl..... the eagle owl was massive, I couldn't believe the size of its feet and talons. Not sure if it was the eurasian or north american variant.

That sounds like a load of fun and a great way to pass the time at college

I would suspect that the owl was a European Eagle Owl.
"Hooters" as the Americans call theirs, are (as far as I am aware)
pretty much none existant over here.