RAPTOR I.D. if you please...

[saurora]

I have discovered a very beautiful, gnarly, old dead tree just a half a mile away on county property. This tree sits off a busy road behind an ugly brick wall with not-so-charming utility wires crossing it's view. There is no other public access to where the tree is located. I practiced cloning in Photoshop on this tree....it was not fun. The road has no parking on both sides of the street and the best visual access is a side road that runs perpendicular to the tree. Below is a zoom on the tree.

http://saurora.smugmug.com/photos/60517708-L.jpg


This is the view that I see from down the side street....

http://saurora.smugmug.com/photos/61533915-L.jpg

What this tree also has to offer is a very accomodating raptor. I have seen this bird sitting in this tree several times. It appears he has laid claim to this tree. I am hoping someone can identify him for me. These shots were taken late afternoon and the lighting is harsh leaving little detail. These shots are extreme crops as I do not currently have a long lens. This is 105mm. From my vantage point he appears to be a very "scruffy" fellow, pretty good sized with a dark body, white chest. Upon examining these photos, his front feathers appear "wooly" and I am wondering if he is just a youngster??? Any info on this bird you can give will be appreciated. The photos suck, I know.

http://saurora.smugmug.com/photos/61384910-L.jpg

http://saurora.smugmug.com/photos/61385259-L.jpg

[Harryb]

That raptor would be an osprey.

[Osprey Whisperer]

:clap yEAH ....an osprey. Neat birds. You see many of these around here (Venice/Sarasota, FL).

Some info on this raptor:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Osprey.html

[saurora]

Thanks, guys! I wondered about it being an Osprey, but when I looked on the web last night, the shots I saw didn't seem like the same bird. Why didn't I think to do a search on Dgrin? Duh...........:rofl

[ginger_55]

Yeah, he is an Osprey. Wonder if he has a nest nearby. My Osprey often sits in a tree rather than go over to the nest, across the road and down a bit.

Cool tree!

ginger, who hates cloning.

[jwear]

what water way do you have that is close to the perch ??? the behavior that G is talking about is very common --if you only see one bird then the nest may not be close if water is close then it maybe hunting

[saurora]

what water way do you have that is close to the perch ??? the behavior that G is talking about is very common --if you only see one bird then the nest may not be close if water is close then it maybe hunting

So far, I have only seen the one osprey. There is a huge old rock quarry that collects over-flow that is released from the Villa Park Dam. It literally is accross the street from where I live surrounded by fencing and neighborhoods that back up on one side. I stopped a lady that lived nearby one day and asked her about it. I have driven around and around trying to find access. But it is fenced off...probably for very good reason.......extremely deep!!!! It is about a mile square and is very full this year. It attracts all kinds of water foul that fly directly over my condo complex. Frustrating to be so close...and yet so far!!! Also, Irvine Lake is not far from this watering hole.