Out Poking Around, Got 2 Birds

[tvanwho]

Was out on a backroad looking at some potential gold creek property, noticed a big bird overhead. Almost thought it might be an eagle vs a vulture.

Heck, it was 2 Bald Eagles !!! I attempted to take 7 photos and a few worked from my moving car. The eagles would fly a hundred feet back into

the trees. I would drive ahead and they would fly again, another hundred feet. We did Eagle/Subaru hopscotch about 5 times.

Amazing I got both birds in 1 photo and fairly crisp shot. Was using my Canon SX50 on Autofocus. I had to enlarge this photo on my pc to 200%.

Hope it works here...both birds are just a bit above the tree line, bottom center of photo. ( Windows has a Zoom control on upper right  corner

of your pc screen.It is shaped like a gear sprocket for up to 400% zoom if needed.)

-Tom V.

[fredmason]

It is always a thrill to see any type of Eagle...one of my happiest moments when in the Sierra is to watch a Bald Eagle catch a fish-or try...

fred

[beatup]

They are fun to see have a pair that hang around in the winter below my house they are here for an easy meal when the cows are calving in march they really like the placenta .

[tvanwho]

How do birds/rabbits/etc see the world around them anyway vs humans with binocular vision? Always wondered how they seem to land on tree branches with no problems even tho they can't see the landing spot? Hmm, just realized owls have binocular vision too like us 2 legged critters. Maybe Mr Hemingway can tell us about these mysteries being a biologist at one time? Birds don't associate themselves with mineralized ground like some plants, do they?

[Jim Hemmingway]

Hi Tom… eagles and other predatory birds’ eyes are positioned to the front of their heads, although their eyes are angled slightly towards the side of their heads, allowing them almost but not quite complete peripheral vision. They see both near and far much better than we and other mammals do, but with similar binocular vision that permits good depth perception, and the ability to gauge movement.

Nearly all birds have superior vision to us in a number of ways, for example they see colors more clearly, and see ultraviolet light. This ability helps predators to identify prey species at great distances by urine trails or deposits that reflect ultraviolet light, and we think it helps many songbirds to identify male from female of the species by reflected UV light. Nightbirds such as owls see visible light much better than they see ultraviolet light. Owls have binocular vision as well.

Songbirds’ eyes are positioned at the side of their head for greatly improved peripheral vision that helps to see predators from above and behind them. Birds cannot roll their eyes like humans but rather they move their heads around almost fully. When landing their legs are extended in front and they look down to see their landing perch. 

Rabbit eyes are located higher and on the sides of the head, they don’t see directly in front very well or at all, but do have very good peripheral vision. They are sufficiently farsighted to see a high-flying bird of prey that we humans might fail to see. but I don’t believe they possess binocular vision in any direction. I’m not sure about that last statement, so you may wish to check it. Lack of good vision directly in front is compensated to some extent by their sensitive nose and elongated, highly sensitive ears. They have limited color vision, but we know for example that they can discriminate between green and blue. They have high visual sensitivity in low light conditions, but with relatively low resolution… meaning it is probably a rather grainy view.

And finally, different mineralizations are sometimes very specifically associated with indigenous flora and fauna resulting from eons of natural selection processes. But there are countless more diverse examples, as your photo illustrates, that may or not represent evolutionary adaptations depending on the species and circumstances. For example the bald eagle is capable of flourishing in a variety of habitats ranging from Indiana’s farmfields to mountain terrain to healthy populations in the big cities. In fact a widespread population exists as a part of Ontario’s Precambrian Shield boreal forest ecosystem.

Below is a link where you get a good close-up look at a hawk's eye placement...

Jim.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiFrseYpojOAhXH5oMKHXhvDeAQtwIIPDAH&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F111070343&usg=AFQjCNHASAHPH398Cwop7v9mBE4i45aVNA&bvm=bv.127984354,d.amc

 
 

[tvanwho]

Thanks Jim,

I learnt a lot about critters from your explanations. Incidentally, I have found gold flakes

behind glacial boulders in the stream running parallel to this gravel road, out in the woods along the road in the photo.

The flakes were small, like 1/4 x 1/4 inch, but shaped like snowflakes vs being water worn and rounded edges like most Indiana gold. Dunno if this means a nearby lode deposit like my map dowsing is indicating or not? The

Indiana geology reports I've seen say there are no metals deposits in the state besides glacial gold.

 This particular meandering stream is only 5-10 feet wide and has a gravel bottom with a current. But where my map dowsing likes for the lode gold deposit, the creek goes by a rocky ridge and then thru a hairpin turn and becomes a deep V bedrock creekbed  , BUT  the water disappears !!! I wonder if it flows underground at that point or what?

I seem to recall Steve said something about looking for mineral deposits where the geology of the land suddenly changes? Dunno why the eagles seem to like this area too but ok by me...

-Tom

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Tom… congratulations on finding gold flakes in that stream. I was not aware that Indiana’s geology would produce gold lode deposits, but rather that its gold was placer deposited from north of the great lakes via glacial action.

The eagles are at that location as a food source. Doubtless the open fields sustain sufficient rodent populations, for example field mice, and other prey species to satisfy their energy requirements.

Jim.