March 21, 2021 - Florida Raptors

Here are some raptors I photographed while we were in Florida this winter.

This is, of course, our national bird, an adult Bald Eagle. It was perched on a dead tree in St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Bald Eagles are large birds (34 to 43 inches long) with a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet.

EagleBaldSt.JosephPeninsulaStatePark20210212

Bald Eagles take four or five years to mature and get their brown and white plumage. Younger Eagles have a fairly distinctive mottled set of feathers depending on their age. I looked in my Sibley Guide to Birds and this one is a good match for juvenile (first year) plumage. That means it hatched last year. It was soaring right above the house we rented on St. George Island.

EagleBaldjuvenileAbbeyfealeThePlantationGeorgeIsland20210203

Red-shouldered Hawks are common, year-round residents in Florida. They are 17 to 24 inches long with a wingspan of 32 to 50 inches. The rust-colored plumage indicates this is an adult. It was perched on a post near the fishing docks in Apalachicola.

HawkRedshoulderedScipioCreekApalachicola20210106

The plumage of this juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk is quite different than the adult plumage seen in the previous photo. It was intently studying something on the ground near Sikes Cut on St. George Island.

HawkRedshoulderedThePlantationGeorgeIsland20210106

My Merriam-Webster dictionary defines raptor as, “A carnivorous medium-to large-sized bird (such as a hawk, eagle, owl, or vulture) that has a hooked beak and large sharp talons and that feeds wholly or chiefly on meat taken by hunting or on carrion.” So, this Black Vulture fits right in with my collection of raptors. It was one of several soaring above the fishing docks in Apalachicola. Vultures don’t get much respect, but they do perform a very valuable function, cleaning up roadkill and other dead animals. Black Vultures are 23 to 27 inches long with a wingspan of 54 to 60 inches.

VultureBlackScipioCreekApalachicola20210106

It’s usually very difficult to approach an American Kestrel close enough to get a decent photo. But this one was very cooperative as it perched on a wire on St. George Island. Kestrels are small raptors, only 9 to 12 inches long with a wingspan of 20 to 25 inches.

KestrelAmericanGeorgeIsland20210219

For the second year in a row, a pair of Great Horned Owls has used this old Eagle nest near Sikes Cut on St. George Island.

OwlGreatHornednestSikesCutThePlantationGeorgeIsland20210131

This photo proves that at least one owlet hatched this year. You can see its fuzzy white head above the edge of the nest.

OwlGreatHornedchicknestSike'sCutThePlantationGeorgeIsland20210219

The other adult owl was perched in a nearby tree.

OwlGreatHornedSikesCutThePlantationGeorgeIsland20210223