At close quarters with kestrals

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wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Thu May 14, 2009 11:44 pm

Well, I like to hear people enjoying this amazing wildlife we have here and i am very happy to help people better understand some of the more quirky animals like the insects etc. that are mostly harmless to us and beneficial to our gardens and us... Keep at your photos Ken, spring is a great time for flower photography...

I'd also like to hear more observations of the Lesser kestrels... It's great to be able to learn new stuff about these things....

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ken2
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby ken2 » Thu May 14, 2009 11:58 pm

You really are right, it is surprising what you just walk by, but if you take a picture of it, you see it in a diffarant light, look at this common old little thistle thingy,??
Image
how nicew is that, and what fruit is going to be on this tree,? is it a chestnut??
Image
i really don't know, but ain't it nice, these where taken today whilst out for our weekly ride into the mountains.today was in Casares
Last edited by ken2 on Fri May 15, 2009 12:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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dingdong
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby dingdong » Thu May 14, 2009 11:58 pm

I'd also like to hear more observations of the Lesser kestrels... It's great to be able to learn new stuff about these things....[/quote]

Ok. Will do. If I could just take some from one of the appartments above me. That would be a lot easier. Don't really know anyone tho'. Aaaah :idea: Maybe I could convince the portero into going on the roof!!! I think it's flat up there. I could possibly get a good view . That's a possibility.
Anyone know what roof is in spanish? :roll:
It's better to be over the hill...than under it!!

dingdong. x

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princess peach
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby princess peach » Fri May 15, 2009 7:16 am

Hi wildside,those pics are fabulous!
Although i have seen those birds,its not the ones i have seen in groups.
The ones i have seen in groups have a thickish band of what looks like black and white (from a distance)on the edge of their wings.It would be great if you could identify them for me,as i hate giving my son the wrong info. :?
All the pictures are stunning,nearly everynight im sat shouting to my hubby and son.."look birds " :shock: and pointing outside..i love to see them. :D

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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby katy » Fri May 15, 2009 8:34 am

Great photos :) You have all shattered my illusions though, I thought they are Eagles I am watching and now I am not so sure :?

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ken2
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby ken2 » Fri May 15, 2009 2:45 pm

Image

is it like this one,?Peachy i think its a short toed eagle.this one flies over our apartment from the golf coarse, but these do gather in your erea to cross over in large groups.my cousin Chris took this from his balcony above me,

wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Fri May 15, 2009 3:22 pm

Hi all,

Ken your picture is of a Booted eagle, In Spanish called an Aguila calzada (calzada meaning boot)... Its got fluffy legs hence the boots.... :) They feed a lot on rabbits and also partridge so the golf course is not too bad a hunting ground but the rough campo probably produces more food for them....

Short toed eagles have more of a speckled brownish/pale underside and don't have that black and white marking like the booted.... Egyptian vultures look a bit like the booted eagle but to tell the difference at a distance look for the pointed tail... here is an Egyptian vulture..

(Of course Princess peaches birds may not even be raptors... There are gulls that resemble her description as well....)

Image

A great book for you guys down on the coast is the "field guide to the birds of the Strait of Gibraltar" (Los Alcornocales natural park and la Janda) by David Barros Cardona and david Rios Esteban.... The book is dual language English and Spanish so you can learn the local names of the birds... PM me if you want a link to buy the book.. (Ouch, I can hear my knuckles getting wrapped again from here... sorry admin... :) )... It's got excellent pictures and descriptions and is not expensive at all

Clive

wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Fri May 15, 2009 3:44 pm

Here is the short-toed eagle or in Spanish the Aguila culebrera. (The snake eating eagle as "culebra" is a type of Snake in Spanish)... 95 percent of the diet of these guys are snakes and lizards but as you can see they aren't like the booted eagle or Egyptian vulture at all...

Image

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Chrissie
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby Chrissie » Fri May 15, 2009 5:55 pm

Fantastic pictures Wildside - and a very interesting thread. Thanks everyone :D
The past cannot be changed, but the present can be spoilt by worrying about the future

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dingdong
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby dingdong » Fri May 15, 2009 6:04 pm

I ditto that chrissie.

Makes me very disatisfied with my aim and shoot camera :( Will have to see what father xmas brings , so, I am gonna have to be a real good girl for a few months :shock:
It's better to be over the hill...than under it!!

dingdong. x

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princess peach
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby princess peach » Fri May 15, 2009 6:14 pm

the pics are beautiful,but the birds i see have black and whitish thick bands at the ends of their wings. :?
they dont look anything like those pics at all,the size and shape looks right,but the underneath is completely wrong.

wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Fri May 15, 2009 6:21 pm

Makes me very dissatisfied with my aim and shoot camera :(
Don't underestimate the amazing pictures you can get with an aim and shoot.... Our last exhibition comprised of 40 percent images taken with a sony "aim and shoot" camera... The quality of the images is remarkable....The key is to take pictures within the limits of the camera so things like close ups of wild flowers, insects and sceneries should be easily obtainable with even the smallest and cheapest little camera...
80 percent of photography in my book is being there at the right time, the right place and being able to frame an image well... (No lamp posts sticking out of peoples heads or blurry shots from moving cars etc :) )

wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Fri May 15, 2009 6:27 pm

the pics are beautiful,but the birds i see have black and whitish thick bands at the ends of their wings
Need more description including, where you see them, what time of year, how many do you see at the same time....
Do you mean the "bands" are black and run along the length of the wings or they are at the end of the wings and run from the front of the wing to the back of the wing where the "fingers" are?

Specifics Bob, Specifics.... :)

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dingdong
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby dingdong » Fri May 15, 2009 6:39 pm

It does take flowers etc really well. It's a Nikon Coolpix. I have some lovely sunset photos, one in particular when sunset was purple and orange. It's a beauty.

But, as you say, it has it's limitations. At the end of the day you gets what you pay for. I have never really been into photography until lately. Guess I will stick to close ups for now, even that is limited :D

I don't really know how to use it as the instructions are ALL in spanish. One day I will print them off in english. I know I can probably get a lot more out of it if I understand it :D
It's better to be over the hill...than under it!!

dingdong. x

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princess peach
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby princess peach » Fri May 15, 2009 6:44 pm

Need more description including, where you see them, what time of year, how many do you see at the same time....
Do you mean the "bands" are black and run along the length of the wings or they are at the end of the wings and run from the front of the wing to the back of the wing where the "fingers" are
o.k,well i have seen them over the last few months,flying near Gib,roughly around 20~30 of them,
the bands go from the top ends"fingers"to the bottom "fingers",not so much on the fingers,but in a little(more on the body of the wing,just past the finger bits)..lol.. :? Its so difficult trying to describe..

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princess peach
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby princess peach » Fri May 15, 2009 6:47 pm

Dingdong,i have a nikon coolpix 880 .
I find it great for taking pics of close up things,and my ebay stuff,but for most other things like birds,its pretty naff.Maybe if i took the time to read the instructions,i would be able to use it better :roll:

wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Fri May 15, 2009 6:59 pm

o.k,well i have seen them over the last few months,flying near Gib,roughly around 20~30 of them, the bands go from the top ends"fingers"to the bottom "fingers",not so much on the fingers,but in a little(more on the body of the wing,just past the finger bits)..lol.. :? Its so difficult trying to describe..
So these birds are white apart from the black wing tips then?

What colour legs have they got?

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dingdong
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby dingdong » Fri May 15, 2009 7:02 pm

princess peach wrote:Dingdong,i have a nikon coolpix 880 .
I find it great for taking pics of close up things,and my ebay stuff,but for most other things like birds,its pretty naff.Maybe if i took the time to read the instructions,i would be able to use it better :roll:
Ours is an L18 whatever that means. Are your instructions in spanish too...lol.

Do you sell on eBay too??? I sell exhausts on there for my sons.... lol :D
It's better to be over the hill...than under it!!

dingdong. x

wildside
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby wildside » Fri May 15, 2009 7:06 pm

What about a yellow legged gull Princess Peach ???

Image

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princess peach
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Re: At close quarters with kestrals

Postby princess peach » Fri May 15, 2009 7:10 pm

So these birds are white apart from the black wing tips then?
haha,now you have got me confused!
The whole bird looks brown or black(difficult to tell when they are so high)with white bands,i think..or maybe they are half brown black with whiteish bands.....I havent got a clue what colour their feet are,they are too high!


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