Tag: crested caracara

Critter rescues this fall

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals8 Comments

My car was full in mid-September when I drove some lost critters from the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay to Penny, a rehabber, in south St. Pete. Baby squirrel season was in full swing and I had 2 boxes of lost babies as well as 2 hawks and a baby dove.

A few days later more baby squirrels made the trip to Penny. This time I had 2 baby flying squirrels in the car. They were so tiny and much smaller than regular squirrels. They can’t actually fly around like birds and bats but are able to glide from tree to tree with those tiny “wings” on their sides. They are nocturnal so they are hard to spot. I’ve heard they are in the area but I’ve never seen one in the wild until this day.

A few “regular” baby squirrels also made the trip.

Penny rehabs all kinds of critters and lives in south St. Pete. Her neighborhood had a few free roaming peacocks and this one was able to walk in front of my car so I stopped and snapped the above as she crossed the street. She’s pretty with a mix of white and blue.

At the beginning of October a young red shoulder hawk had just come back from a visit to the vet for an injured eye and was making the trip back to the Raptor Center to finish his rehabilitation.

Look at that face! This great horned owl had been rescued and was well enough to be released so I was driving him to the Raptor Center from a Barbara, the rehabber near my home. He will go into the big flight cage at the center to build back up his strength.

A turkey vulture and another great horned owl also made the trip.

A few weeks later I stopped at an emergency vet to pick up a baby squirrel that had been brought in that was found in someone’s yard. Then I drove it to the Raptor Center.

He joined another big box of lost squirrels and I drove them all to Penny.

An injured crow also made the trip.

In early December I picked up a caracara from the Raptor Center that had an injured wing and leg. We don’t see caracaras near my home and this one was brought in from central Florida. I took him to Barbara, the rehabber, who was taking him to the vet the next morning to have him looked and at possibly reset the wing and leg. This was the 2nd caracara I had as a passenger in the year and half of driving injured critters. He looks like a prettier vulture and acts like a vulture (mostly eating roadkill) but he’s actually a type of falcon.

Transporting in late August into September

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

It was a busy summer transporting injured birds around to the different rehabbers in the Tampa bay area. In late August this barred owl made the trip from the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay to Moccasin Lake Park Raptor Sanctuary along with a screech owl. Both had injured eyes and were going to see a vet nearby that specializes in injured eyes.

While I was at Moccasin Lake Park I stopped in to see some of the resident and rehabbing birds in the hospital. There were several kestrels there and a few had missing eyes.

This peregrine falcon also had an injured eye and was waiting to see a vet.  I don’t see these guys often out in the wild.

A few days later the same barred owl along with another one made the trip back to the Raptor Center. Both will eventually be released. The injured eye should heal.

Also in my car that day was a great horned owl that had his injured wing reset by the vet.  Once his wing heals he will be released.

In early September I had 3 red shoulder hawks in my car on their way from the Raptor Center to Penny, the rehabber in south St. Pete. They had all been injured and rehabbed and Penny was going to release them. I only got a shot of one since they were boxed up and I wasn’t about to open those boxes with healed hawks in them.

A box of baby squirrels also made the trip.

The next day I got a call asking to transport an injured crested caracara. I’ve only seen these guys a few times out in the wild and I was happy I could do this transport but sad that it was injured. He was found in central Florida. They rarely venture near the Tampa bay area and can be found along cow pastures in central Florida. They are a type of falcon although they act like vultures eating mostly roadkill but will also eat live small animals.

Leaving the Raptor Center with the caracara I had to stop and roll down my window and take a few shots with my phone of a sandhill crane family that was down the street.

The lost baby squirrels never end. This still hairless guy made the trip to Penny and he had a baby dove with him.

A young possum and an older baby squirrel also made the trip.

By mid-September I had another carload heading to a rehabber. A barred owl and a huge red tail hawk are pictured. I also had 2 red shoulder hawks.

And a tshirt full of baby squirrels that had just been dropped off at the Raptor Center while I was picking up the birds.

A few days later 3 boxes of baby squirrels made the trip to Penny, the squirrel expert, in south St, Pete. It was close to the end of  baby squirrel season and hopefully these were the last lost ones.

 

My first Crested Caracara

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography12 Comments

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My first “in the wild” crested caracara. This was taken from the car. On our way back from West Palm beach I told my hubby we have to look out for a vulture looking bird with a big orange beak.  We saw him early into our drive. He was sitting in a tree just off the road. Hubby pulled off on the grass and I was able to snap this quickly before he took off. They are only found in Arizona, Texas and Florida and usually in open fields. This bird has alluded me for years. I’ve never heard of one being seen in the Tampa bay area. They are found in central Florida but every time we head to the other side of the state I can’t seem to find them.

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Later in our drive, about half way across the state, Hubby spotted this one on the road. He turned around and pulled off the side of the road. I took the above from the car since I was afraid he would take off as well. He did not seem to care, although we were pretty far back.

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This one is a juvenile with the pink beak and not quite dark feathers on his body. He was chowing down on a raccoon. I got out of the car and walked slowly towards him but still stayed far away.

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Nice yummy piece of raccoon meat in his mouth. He kept an eye on me as he was eating.

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What was he thinking as he stared at his meal?

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When cars went by he didn’t move but when a big truck came by he would fly over to the grass and come back a few seconds later.

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At one point he took off with a bite still in his beak.

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Then he flew over to the fence post.

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He stayed on the fence post for a while.

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Up close, he’s prettier than black or turkey vultures. I mean really, first with the pink beak and then it turns orange. How cool is that? I guess if I saw them everyday I would say (and to quote my Dad) “Just another buzzard.” We were only there for a few minutes, then he flew off across the cow pasture. We saw two other caracaras that day but there wasn’t anywhere to stop off on the side of the road so we kept going. The above were all taken into the sun as well so not ideal. I’m keep looking for them though.