Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-23 Thread Dave Nutter
Hi all, 
Sandra’s friend sent me the video clip from an evening this week in Newfield. 
The view is very distant, so I studied through a magnifying glass (binoculars 
turned backwards), but it’s good enough that I easily agree with the ID that 
the few “small” birds, some of whom flew a bit, are Crows. The larger dark bird 
is neither a Corvid, nor a Turkey, nor any of the usual raptors which use long 
legs and talons to reach out and grab prey at a safe distance or even chase it 
a bit. It walked with small steps, pecked at the ground in one spot, and did 
not fly. This bird has a fairly long tail which it holds parallel to the 
ground, a long slim body which tapers gradually to what appears to me to be a 
tiny head, and rather short legs. It walks like it’s not very good at it and 
doesn’t have to be. The size, shape, and behavior, including the posture at 
several points, lead me to believe it’s a Turkey Vulture, even though I was not 
able to be certain of a naked or red head. I’m guessing there was some meat in 
what was left out for the Crows. 

FWIW, a lot of Turkey Vultures gather not too far away in the evenings Near 
Robert Treman State Park.

- - Dave Nutter

> On Apr 23, 2021, at 8:53 AM, Dave Nutter  wrote:
> 
> What would help is to know the location & date to determine a basic list of 
> what birds likely are in that area at that season.
> Further information about habitat could also narrow down the likely species. 
> 
> Then it would really help to get a copy of that video in front of another 
> experienced birder to judge the shape of both kinds of birds, including bill 
> & tail, and their relative size. It’s surprisingly easy to misjudge the size 
> of birds at a distance, so the fact that there are 2 species in view together 
> is your best help, and you must use shape, behavior, pattern & color to try 
> to pin down one of them. There could be some subtle information in that video 
> that would not be obvious everyone. Speed of walking is also a clue to size. 
> 
> Assuming the video is from April in Northeastern US, and knowing the basics 
> of what blackish birds feed in flocks on the ground and tolerate each other, 
> we currently have lots of European Starlings and Common Grackles doing that. 
> Brown-headed Cowbirds are another possibility. Red-winged Blackbirds are more 
> territorial and single now but might also gather at a food source. American 
> Crows are also territorial now but could be either single or in small family 
> groups or again might gather at a large food source. Common Ravens are in 
> some places, but typically are chased off by Crows. Turkey Vultures (or 
> rarely Black Vultures) are also a possibility depending on the type of food 
> put out, but might also be chased off by Crows.  
> 
> It’s common for people unfamiliar with Grackles to call them Crows, either 
> occasionally at a distance, or habitually. So, if you saw very long 
> wedge-shaped tails, that’s an ID for one species. Or the very short tails of 
> Starlings or the way they walk and probe, can help ID them. Even Crows and 
> Ravens have slightly different shapes and behaviors. And eagles and vultures 
> may also be distinguished by shape. 
> 
> With all these unknowns and conjectures, I think a closer look at the video 
> is what’s needed. 
> 
> - - Dave Nutter
> 
>> On Apr 22, 2021, at 1:31 PM, Peter Saracino  wrote:
>> 
>> Sibley:
>> Ravens 24" long
>> Crows 17.5 " long
>> 
>>> On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 1:24 PM Sandra J. Kisner  wrote:
>>> I suggested raven to her, but it was an awful lot larger.  Is there that 
>>> much difference between crows and ravens?
>>> 
>>> Sandra
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: Donna Lee Scott 
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:45 PM
>>> To: Sandra J. Kisner
>>> Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L
>>> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>>> 
>>> Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
>>> being next to them.
>>> Kevin McGowan would know.
>>> 
>>> Donna Scott
>>> Lansing
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>> On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
>>> mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was 
>>> short), but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't 
>>> actually know where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to 
>>> be in the area.
>>> 
>>> Sandra
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedars

Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-23 Thread Sandra J. Kisner
I hope to see her tonight, and will pass on the request.  She is quite sure the 
smaller birds are crows, however, as she sees them regularly.  At least I'll 
get better information as to date/time/location.

Sandra


From: bounce-125570098-3493...@list.cornell.edu 
 on behalf of Dave Nutter 

Sent: Friday, April 23, 2021 8:53 AM
To: CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

What would help is to know the location & date to determine a basic list of 
what birds likely are in that area at that season.
Further information about habitat could also narrow down the likely species.

Then it would really help to get a copy of that video in front of another 
experienced birder to judge the shape of both kinds of birds, including bill & 
tail, and their relative size. It’s surprisingly easy to misjudge the size of 
birds at a distance, so the fact that there are 2 species in view together is 
your best help, and you must use shape, behavior, pattern & color to try to pin 
down one of them. There could be some subtle information in that video that 
would not be obvious everyone. Speed of walking is also a clue to size.

Assuming the video is from April in Northeastern US, and knowing the basics of 
what blackish birds feed in flocks on the ground and tolerate each other, we 
currently have lots of European Starlings and Common Grackles doing that. 
Brown-headed Cowbirds are another possibility. Red-winged Blackbirds are more 
territorial and single now but might also gather at a food source. American 
Crows are also territorial now but could be either single or in small family 
groups or again might gather at a large food source. Common Ravens are in some 
places, but typically are chased off by Crows. Turkey Vultures (or rarely Black 
Vultures) are also a possibility depending on the type of food put out, but 
might also be chased off by Crows.

It’s common for people unfamiliar with Grackles to call them Crows, either 
occasionally at a distance, or habitually. So, if you saw very long 
wedge-shaped tails, that’s an ID for one species. Or the very short tails of 
Starlings or the way they walk and probe, can help ID them. Even Crows and 
Ravens have slightly different shapes and behaviors. And eagles and vultures 
may also be distinguished by shape.

With all these unknowns and conjectures, I think a closer look at the video is 
what’s needed.

- - Dave Nutter

On Apr 22, 2021, at 1:31 PM, Peter Saracino 
mailto:petersarac...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Sibley:
Ravens 24" long
Crows 17.5 " long

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 1:24 PM Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
I suggested raven to her, but it was an awful lot larger.  Is there that much 
difference between crows and ravens?

Sandra


From: Donna Lee Scott mailto:d...@cornell.edu>>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:45 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
being next to them.
Kevin McGowan would know.

Donna Scott
Lansing
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu<mailto:s...@cornell.edu>>>
 wrote:

By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was short), 
but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't actually know 
where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to be in the area.

Sandra


From: Joshua Snodgrass 
mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com><mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com<mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu<mailto:s...@cornell.edu>><mailto:s...@cornell.edu<mailto:s...@cornell.edu>>>
 wrote:
I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I promised 
I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group of crows 
that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) driveway, with a 
large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is from far away; not 
knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of grackles being joined by a 
crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows.  The guest is rather stocky, 
with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't in the least disturbed by the 
visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At one point she pointed out what 
looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see at that distance).  She also 
occasionally sees turkeys, but this di

Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-23 Thread Dave Nutter
What would help is to know the location & date to determine a basic list of 
what birds likely are in that area at that season.
Further information about habitat could also narrow down the likely species. 

Then it would really help to get a copy of that video in front of another 
experienced birder to judge the shape of both kinds of birds, including bill & 
tail, and their relative size. It’s surprisingly easy to misjudge the size of 
birds at a distance, so the fact that there are 2 species in view together is 
your best help, and you must use shape, behavior, pattern & color to try to pin 
down one of them. There could be some subtle information in that video that 
would not be obvious everyone. Speed of walking is also a clue to size. 

Assuming the video is from April in Northeastern US, and knowing the basics of 
what blackish birds feed in flocks on the ground and tolerate each other, we 
currently have lots of European Starlings and Common Grackles doing that. 
Brown-headed Cowbirds are another possibility. Red-winged Blackbirds are more 
territorial and single now but might also gather at a food source. American 
Crows are also territorial now but could be either single or in small family 
groups or again might gather at a large food source. Common Ravens are in some 
places, but typically are chased off by Crows. Turkey Vultures (or rarely Black 
Vultures) are also a possibility depending on the type of food put out, but 
might also be chased off by Crows.  

It’s common for people unfamiliar with Grackles to call them Crows, either 
occasionally at a distance, or habitually. So, if you saw very long 
wedge-shaped tails, that’s an ID for one species. Or the very short tails of 
Starlings or the way they walk and probe, can help ID them. Even Crows and 
Ravens have slightly different shapes and behaviors. And eagles and vultures 
may also be distinguished by shape. 

With all these unknowns and conjectures, I think a closer look at the video is 
what’s needed. 

- - Dave Nutter

> On Apr 22, 2021, at 1:31 PM, Peter Saracino  wrote:
> 
> Sibley:
> Ravens 24" long
> Crows 17.5 " long
> 
>> On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 1:24 PM Sandra J. Kisner  wrote:
>> I suggested raven to her, but it was an awful lot larger.  Is there that 
>> much difference between crows and ravens?
>> 
>> Sandra
>> 
>> 
>> From: Donna Lee Scott 
>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:45 PM
>> To: Sandra J. Kisner
>> Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L
>> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>> 
>> Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
>> being next to them.
>> Kevin McGowan would know.
>> 
>> Donna Scott
>> Lansing
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
>> mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
>> 
>> By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was 
>> short), but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't 
>> actually know where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to 
>> be in the area.
>> 
>> Sandra
>> 
>> 
>> From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
>> To: Sandra J. Kisner
>> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>> 
>> Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
>> white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.
>> 
>> On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
>> mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
>> I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I 
>> promised I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group 
>> of crows that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) 
>> driveway, with a large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is 
>> from far away; not knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of 
>> grackles being joined by a crow, but she assures me they are her usual 
>> crows.  The guest is rather stocky, with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows 
>> weren't in the least disturbed by the visitor, so it's not likely it was a 
>> hawk.  At one point she pointed out what looked like a white wing bar (very 
>> hard to see at that distance).  She also occasionally sees turkeys, but this 
>> didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?
>> 
>> Sandra
>> --
>> 

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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Sandra J. Kisner
I'm afraid I don't know.

Sandra


From: Geo Kloppel 
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 2:39 PM
To: Kevin J. McGowan
Cc: Donna Lee Scott; Sandra J. Kisner; CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

What food was being offered to attract the Crows ?

-Geo

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 2:22 PM, Kevin J. McGowan  wrote:


Crows would not tolerate an eagle unless it was very focused on eating 
something else. Vulture sounds most likely.

Kevin



From: bounce-125566860-3493...@list.cornell.edu 
 On Behalf Of Donna Lee Scott
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:46 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner 
Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L 
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
being next to them.
Kevin McGowan would know.
Donna Scott
Lansing
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was short), 
but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't actually know 
where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to be in the area.

Sandra


From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I promised 
I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group of crows 
that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) driveway, with a 
large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is from far away; not 
knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of grackles being joined by a 
crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows.  The guest is rather stocky, 
with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't in the least disturbed by the 
visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At one point she pointed out what 
looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see at that distance).  She also 
occasionally sees turkeys, but this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?

Sandra
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Geo Kloppel
What food was being offered to attract the Crows ?

-Geo

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 22, 2021, at 2:22 PM, Kevin J. McGowan  wrote:
> 
> 
> Crows would not tolerate an eagle unless it was very focused on eating 
> something else. Vulture sounds most likely.
>  
> Kevin
>  
>  
>  
> From: bounce-125566860-3493...@list.cornell.edu 
>  On Behalf Of Donna Lee Scott
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:46 PM
> To: Sandra J. Kisner 
> Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L 
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>  
> Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
> being next to them. 
> Kevin McGowan would know. 
> 
> Donna Scott
> Lansing
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner  wrote:
> 
> By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was 
> short), but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't 
> actually know where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to 
> be in the area.
> 
> Sandra
> 
> ____
> From: Joshua Snodgrass 
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
> To: Sandra J. Kisner
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
> 
> Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
> white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.
> 
> On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
> mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
> I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I 
> promised I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group 
> of crows that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) 
> driveway, with a large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is 
> from far away; not knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of 
> grackles being joined by a crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows. 
>  The guest is rather stocky, with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't 
> in the least disturbed by the visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At 
> one point she pointed out what looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see 
> at that distance).  She also occasionally sees turkeys, but this didn't look 
> like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?
> 
> Sandra
> --
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RE: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Kevin J. McGowan
Crows would not tolerate an eagle unless it was very focused on eating 
something else. Vulture sounds most likely.

Kevin



From: bounce-125566860-3493...@list.cornell.edu 
 On Behalf Of Donna Lee Scott
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:46 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner 
Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L 
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
being next to them.
Kevin McGowan would know.
Donna Scott
Lansing
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was short), 
but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't actually know 
where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to be in the area.

Sandra


From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I promised 
I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group of crows 
that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) driveway, with a 
large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is from far away; not 
knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of grackles being joined by a 
crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows.  The guest is rather stocky, 
with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't in the least disturbed by the 
visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At one point she pointed out what 
looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see at that distance).  She also 
occasionally sees turkeys, but this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?

Sandra
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Peter Saracino
Sibley:
Ravens 24" long
Crows 17.5 " long

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 1:24 PM Sandra J. Kisner  wrote:

> I suggested raven to her, but it was an awful lot larger.  Is there that
> much difference between crows and ravens?
>
> Sandra
>
> 
> From: Donna Lee Scott 
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:45 PM
> To: Sandra J. Kisner
> Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>
> Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would
> tolerate being next to them.
> Kevin McGowan would know.
>
> Donna Scott
> Lansing
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner  s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
>
> By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was
> short), but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't
> actually know where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to
> be in the area.
>
> Sandra
>
> 
> From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
> To: Sandra J. Kisner
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>
> Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but
> have white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.
>
> On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner  s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
> I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I
> promised I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group
> of crows that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural)
> driveway, with a large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is
> from far away; not knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of
> grackles being joined by a crow, but she assures me they are her usual
> crows.  The guest is rather stocky, with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows
> weren't in the least disturbed by the visitor, so it's not likely it was a
> hawk.  At one point she pointed out what looked like a white wing bar (very
> hard to see at that distance).  She also occasionally sees turkeys, but
> this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?
>
> Sandra
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Sandra J. Kisner
I suggested raven to her, but it was an awful lot larger.  Is there that much 
difference between crows and ravens?

Sandra


From: Donna Lee Scott 
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:45 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
being next to them.
Kevin McGowan would know.

Donna Scott
Lansing
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:

By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was short), 
but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't actually know 
where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to be in the area.

Sandra


From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I promised 
I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group of crows 
that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) driveway, with a 
large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is from far away; not 
knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of grackles being joined by a 
crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows.  The guest is rather stocky, 
with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't in the least disturbed by the 
visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At one point she pointed out what 
looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see at that distance).  She also 
occasionally sees turkeys, but this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?

Sandra
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Donna Lee Scott
Ravens hang around where eagles are, but i am not sure crows would tolerate 
being next to them.
Kevin McGowan would know.

Donna Scott
Lansing
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 12:41 PM, Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:

By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was short), 
but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't actually know 
where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to be in the area.

Sandra


From: Joshua Snodgrass mailto:cedarsh...@gmail.com>>
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
To: Sandra J. Kisner
Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but have 
white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu><mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I promised 
I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group of crows 
that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) driveway, with a 
large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is from far away; not 
knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of grackles being joined by a 
crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows.  The guest is rather stocky, 
with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't in the least disturbed by the 
visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At one point she pointed out what 
looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see at that distance).  She also 
occasionally sees turkeys, but this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?

Sandra
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Peter Saracino
Raven?
Sar

On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 12:41 PM Sandra J. Kisner  wrote:

> By appearance the eagle seems more likely than a vulture (the neck was
> short), but would crows tolerate it?  I'll suggest it to her; I don't
> actually know where she lives, so I don't know if bald eagles are likely to
> be in the area.
>
> Sandra
>
> 
> From: Joshua Snodgrass 
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2021 12:11 PM
> To: Sandra J. Kisner
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird
>
> Any chance it was a juvenile Bald Eagle? Young birds are very dark, but
> have white markings. It would be huge compared to crows.
>
> On Thu, Apr 22, 2021, 10:19 AM Sandra J. Kisner  s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:
> I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I
> promised I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group
> of crows that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural)
> driveway, with a large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is
> from far away; not knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of
> grackles being joined by a crow, but she assures me they are her usual
> crows.  The guest is rather stocky, with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows
> weren't in the least disturbed by the visitor, so it's not likely it was a
> hawk.  At one point she pointed out what looked like a white wing bar (very
> hard to see at that distance).  She also occasionally sees turkeys, but
> this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?
>
> Sandra
> --
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] large dark bird

2021-04-22 Thread Donna Lee Scott
Maybe a turkey vulture?

Donna Scott
Lansing
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 22, 2021, at 10:30 AM, Sandra J. Kisner 
mailto:s...@cornell.edu>> wrote:

I'm afraid I don't have much information to base my question on, but I promised 
I'd try.  A friend showed me a short video on her phone of a group of crows 
that she puts food out for near the end of her long (rural) driveway, with a 
large dark bird apparently feeding with them.  The shot is from far away; not 
knowing that I would have guessed it was a bunch of grackles being joined by a 
crow, but she assures me they are her usual crows.  The guest is rather stocky, 
with a short (broad?) tail.  The crows weren't in the least disturbed by the 
visitor, so it's not likely it was a hawk.  At one point she pointed out what 
looked like a white wing bar (very hard to see at that distance).  She also 
occasionally sees turkeys, but this didn't look like a turkey to me.  Any ideas?

Sandra
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