Harris @ The Dump
Been down the dump this morning ( or should that be the amenity centre ) and did not expect to come back with anything !! Well I did get a shot -sort of . There was a chap there with a bird of prey on his arm - a Harris Hawk it turned out to be . A quick word with the guy and they were there doing a bit of gull scaring - as they were working he did not want to stop and pose ,but as I got back to the car I grabbed the P&S in my bag and took a couple of quick snaps with a bit of zoom from a distance .
Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), formerly known as the bay-winged hawk or dusky hawk, and known in Latin America as peuco, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity.
The name is derived from the Greek para, meaning beside, near or like, and the Latin buteo, referring to a kind of buzzard; uni meaning once; and cinctus meaning girdled, referring to the white band at the tip of the tail. John James Audubon gave this bird its English name in honor of his ornithological companion, financial supporter, and friend Edward Harris.
The Harris's hawk is notable for its behavior of hunting cooperatively in packs consisting of tolerant groups, while other raptors often hunt alone. Harris hawks' social nature has been attributed to their intelligence, which makes them easy to train and have made them a popular bird for use in falconry.
Glad I chose today to go down the dump !!
Harris @ The Dump
Been down the dump this morning ( or should that be the amenity centre ) and did not expect to come back with anything !! Well I did get a shot -sort of . There was a chap there with a bird of prey on his arm - a Harris Hawk it turned out to be . A quick word with the guy and they were there doing a bit of gull scaring - as they were working he did not want to stop and pose ,but as I got back to the car I grabbed the P&S in my bag and took a couple of quick snaps with a bit of zoom from a distance .
Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), formerly known as the bay-winged hawk or dusky hawk, and known in Latin America as peuco, is a medium-large bird of prey that breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. Birds are sometimes reported at large in Western Europe, especially Britain, but it is a popular species in falconry and these records almost certainly all refer to escapes from captivity.
The name is derived from the Greek para, meaning beside, near or like, and the Latin buteo, referring to a kind of buzzard; uni meaning once; and cinctus meaning girdled, referring to the white band at the tip of the tail. John James Audubon gave this bird its English name in honor of his ornithological companion, financial supporter, and friend Edward Harris.
The Harris's hawk is notable for its behavior of hunting cooperatively in packs consisting of tolerant groups, while other raptors often hunt alone. Harris hawks' social nature has been attributed to their intelligence, which makes them easy to train and have made them a popular bird for use in falconry.
Glad I chose today to go down the dump !!