Sonoran Connection: Ferruginous Hawk

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Ferruginous Hawk

I spent some time today at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum photographing hawks during their morning Raptor Free Flight Program. I have rented a great lens (Canon Ef 2.8 70-200 IS USM II with 2x multiplier) for next week which will allow me to expand my range and I want to be ready for a solid week of photographing nature including hawks in the wild. We will be heading to Whitewater Draw to photograph Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese and to Madera Canyon which has been a great birding spot for us in the past.
I plan to spend a good part of a day on the Sandhills which has been an area of interest for me for several years. Whitewater usually has quite a few surprises From Ibises to Herons so it should be a great experience.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk/id

For those of you who like to know about such things the definition of ferruginous is "Having the color of iron rust; reddish-brown."

1 comment:

RohrerbotNovember 13, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Great shot!! Look forward to your Whitewater adventures. I didn't know you could rent lens! That's a great idea.
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California Condors in Arizona

VERMILION CLIFFS, Ariz. – California condors will be released to the wild in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. The public is welcome to observe the release from a viewing area where spotting scopes will be set up and experts will be available to answer questions.

http://www.peregrinefund.org/news-release/267

http://www.peregrinefund.org/home-feature/condor

Everything you should know about California Condors. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/106003821/0

News Release: http://1.usa.gov/QmvwBu

Sonoran Connection applauds the Peregrine Fund for it's efforts to save the California Condor in Arizona.

www.peregrinefund.org/conserve_category.asp?category=California%20Condor%20Restoration

www.peregrinefund.org/press_full.asp?id=192&category=California%20Condor

Check out this update on the Condor program 15 years after it began.

grandcanyonnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=9669&TM=53459.1

www.thecondorsshadow.com

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Sonoran Connection does not accept donations on behalf of NPCA or any other group. If you wish to donate go directly to the organizations website. www.npca.com

#2 Buffalo Field Campaign

The Buffalo Field Campaign holds a special place in my environmental heart. This organization's purpose is to protect and preserve the wild buffalo of Yellowstone National Park who are under assault from the State of Montana, local cattle ranchers and oddly enough the federal Government via the National Park Service.

AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S. The last wild population is currently estimated at fewer than 4,300 individual buffalo. Wild bison are currently ecologically extinct throughout their native range in North America.

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Total Buffalo Killed: 399 (+/-)

Government Capture: 477 (+/-)

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Died in Government Trap: 3

Died in Government Research Facility**:

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State Hunt: 13

Treaty Hunts: 128

Unknown Hunts:

Poached in Yellowstone:

Sent to Quarantine:

Sent to APHIS Research Facility: 7

Shot by Agents:

Shot by Landowner:

Highway Mortality:

Cause of Death Unknown:

Total Killed in Previous Years*

2012-2013: 653

2012-2013: 261

2011-2012: 33

2010-2011: 227

2009-2010: 7

2008-2009: 22

2007-2008: 1,631

Total Killed Since 2000: 5,286

www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

#3 Greenpeace

Greenpeace shares my values in that it is both confrontational and peaceful at the same time. It's campaign to protect the worlds oceans and prevent the spread of nuclear materials are both high priorities of mine. I also love their ability to stay independent and call it like it is regardless who the offending party is. They can be reached at www.greenpeace.org/usa/

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Sandhill Crane Watch 2010-2011

Friday October 8th we spotted 30 sandhills at Whitewater Draw.

Tuesday October 12 190 sandhills returned to Whitewater Draw.

Saturday October 16, Headed to Whitewater at 4 AM so we can be there at sunrise

What a day it turned out to be! We were thrilled to see the return of between 1600 and 1800 Sandhills flying in from the north in various sized flocks.

Saturday October 30th we will return to Whitewater for an update. We are planning on going later in the day so we can be there around 2:30 PM

Here is a link to a very informative site on cranes:www.savingcranes.org/sandhill-crane.html

Friday October 29th We headed to Whitewater a day early and I estimate the Sandhill population at somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 birds. I will put a post up on this blog tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Her's an interesting and informative website regarding the efforts to return the Whooping Crane population in America to health. www.bringbackthecranes.org/recovery/index.html

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The new camera is here and now I have to learn how to use it. Wilcox Sandhills will be a good test on Saturday.

Our trip turned out to be a successful one with sightings of thousands of Sandhill's at Apache Station.

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12/3/10 Traveled alone to Whitewater Draw where I watched Sandhills come and go for the entire morning.

1/1/11 Traveled to Whitewater Draw and were treated to the most amazing display of Sandhill Cranes yet. The skies were literally full of Sandhills and snow geese. Estimated number of Sandhills 30,000.