Osprey and raven

[Huhwhat?]

Taken at Watson Lake this morning. The Raven was hassling the Osprey, trying to get her to leave. The Osprey was getting seriously peeved. Snhe took a snap at the Raven as it went by, and the raven decided to go elsewhere.

 

[COWTOWNER]

That was a very smart raven. The Osprey does not look like its to happy. Great photos by the way.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

Great pictures, and I often wonder why the raptors bother with so much harrassment from the corvids!

But I have a bird ID question: isn't that black bird a crow? Round tail, five "finger" (pinion) feathers at end of wing tips... I was taught Poe's poem was a good memory tool for IDing ravens: the window is square (angular tail) and has four sides (number of pinion feathers on wing.) Or am I being dyslexic again?

Rick C

 

[Tensaw]

I think the tail is the key to this being a crow. But I could be wrong. Maybe DOCCASH can identify.

 

[BearBio]

crow

 

[Huhwhat?]

Wrong.

That is a common raven. The tail is flared. Once in normal flight, it takes on the standard wedge, or diamond shape. Also, look at the bill. That is way too big for any sort of crow. That bill is pure raven. Also, it is too big to be a crow. Even accounting for camera perspective, it was pretty close to the size of the osprey. Too big for a crow.

 

[frankenfab]

Outstanding!

 

[exavid]

It really doesn't matter but you can check the pinion feathers on the bird. A raven has four pinion feathers and a crow has five.










So obviously the difference between a raven and a crow is only a matter of o'pinion.

 

[Mike J]

I have never really studied the differences between crows & ravens as we don't have any ravens around here to my knowledge. Either way those are some cool pictures.

 

[Fox Mike]

It's a crow. Admittedly a big one but still a crow. Look at the tail.
"Crows and ravens also look different in flight. Ravens wings are longer and thinner, and the primaries — the main flight feathers on the wings — are also longer and have more space between them. The birds' tails also look different when spread; a crow's tail curves evenly like a seashell, while the tail of a raven meets at a triangular point."
Read all about them here: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-a-raven-and-a-crow.htm

 

[GhosT]

Blackhawk,


Thanks ,
Cause....heard Osprey before, but never looked em up.
Not only a cool bird...but KUDOS on the quality of yer pics!


The factory I work at,surrounded by woods...So a shitload of animals.....From mice to deer.

When out at the SMOKER'S SHACK during the day time.....We get to see HAWKS hunting....Very cool.
On the night shifts,watch the owls hunt.

But in NE OHIO, I never saw an Osprey before.

CROWS see daily..they among other smaller birds love to mess with the hawks!

But I digress,
Just.....enjoyed yer pics! :wink:

 

[BearBio]

BTW: Another name for an Osprey is a "SeaHawk"

 

[Huhwhat?]

I know the difference between a crow and a raven. I've never seen a crow in this area. And that is a raven, not a crow, for all the reasons I posted above.

a crow's tail curves evenly like a seashell, while the tail of a raven meets at a triangular point

Yes, and when they have their tails flared for maneuverability like the one in the pic, it is almost impossible to tell the difference.

 

[GhosT]

Raven VS crow
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Crow_vs_Raven

 

[Huhwhat?]

Like I said, raven, not crow.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Like I said, raven, not crow.

Hi,

Well, after asking my original question, I spent some time looking at picture after picture and descriptions ranging from the usual Internet "experts" to Cornell University's lab guys, and have decided that judging only from the picture here, we can conclude the answer is absolutely, positively "it's either a crow or a raven!" We have some huge crows around here that folks claim are ravens based just on size, but they're not, and I'd have to head out toward the desert to even try to see a real raven, So it's hard to just walk out the door and try to confirm some of what I might have learned!

Point being, as Huhwhat? says, the bird's in "landing mode" and even the Internet's REAL experts agree it's close to impossible to tell the difference right at that moment. So, since he's the only one of us who was there to see more of the bird's activity, and says it's a raven, that works for me!

Thanks, Huhwhat?--despite still being left-handed and dyslexic, I know more than I did this time yesterday! ;)

Rick C

 

[Huhwhat?]

Works for me.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Those are great pictures!

 

[MacEntyre]

The Fishhawk looks like a young'un...

 

[Huhwhat?]

Almost certainly.

 

[bsnake]

Was that the only Osprey that day?
I recall several years ago seeing a dozen or more there at the same time. Beautiful sight.

These pictures you've been posting lately are fantastic.

 

[Huhwhat?]

Ospreys don't really live here. We get them through twice a year, during migration.