Does anyone know what kind of bird this was?

T

tmk1086

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I was fishing on the Clarion River yesterday morning and saw a bald eagle, then some river otters, then an odd bird. It was a large mostly white colored bird (might of had some gray on it's back). It had a dark (black or gray) ring around its neck. I originally saw it sitting on a rock and noticed that it had fairly long tail feathers, then the bird flew over me and that's when I noticed the ring around it's neck and its size. It was somewhere between the size of a hawk and an eagle. If anyone has any idea what this bird was I'd like to know. I was searching the internet all morning and could not figure out what I had seen.
 
Could it have been some form of hawk? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk
There would be a number of species migrating at this time of year.
 
It could have been a hawk. I had looked around online and no pictures I could find matched what I remember seeing. What really threw me for a loop was that I saw it sitting on a rock in the middle of the river. I've never seen a hawk or eagle sitting like that, I've only seen them up high in trees or on poles or soaring.
 
I'm actually thinking an osprey might be my best bet because no other hawk that I've researched has that much white on it. I had never thought about there being osprey around Clarion but I guess anything is possible
 
There are Opsrey all over this state. We have a nest at Twin Lakes...a county park near Greensburg. Drives the old bait guys nuts when they come down a snatch a newly stocked trout. Google Osprey and click the images..you see many variations in the markings...I'm betting that is what you saw. I can't remember where but I know I have seen Osprey up that way during my 5 or so years in college at Clarion. We saw one last Saturday at the Little J as well.
 
Looking at some osprey pictures it seems to be the closest to what I saw. Thanks for the help. Wow, quite a day then, 7 fish, a river otter, a bald eagle, and an osprey.
 
Osprey are pretty common. They nest along Spring Creek and I've seen them many places.

When I was a kid, bald eagles were essentially non-existent in PA, and osprey were quite rare. Both are far more common now than they were in in the late 1960s and the 1970s.
 
I was wondering if it was an osprey when it was first described, but I didn't know they were becoming more common. I'm not a "birder". Anyway, I saw one on the susquehanna just a little while ago. Evidently there is some variation in size, because the ones I saw with CW on the Chesapeake were HUGE. The one I saw on the Susquehanna was about the size of a red tailed hawk. I saw him when we were crossing the Susquehanna on the Millersburg Ferry.
 
Adult Osprey usually have a pretty good wingspan. In the range 4 1/2 to 6 feet. Just under a 2ft long body. I remember always thinking that these were really cool birds. I remember doing reports on them in school. I used to camp next to a lake that had a large nest on the opposite side and the birds used to just drop right out of the nest and take trout. You'd think those damn fish would know better than to swim under there. They rely almost entirely on fish for survival. Will on very rare occasions take rodents and reptiles. I could go on but the Boise State game is coming on soon.
 
To me without a picture it sounds like an Osprey. That is the largest bird that has that much white witout being all white. There are other large birds that show a fair amount of white that are migrating right now. A Goshawk fits that description though it is pale gray on the back and doesn't have an all white head. The underside of the head is fairly white. And a Goshawk has a very long tail. They have a wingspan over 4 feet, and are quite rare in PA, mostly seen while migrating, though there are several nest in the NC woods. Did you know that Ospreys have the longest migration season, from August 1 to Approx. Nov 30?
 
tomgamber wrote:
How about an Osprey...best fisherman on the block.
Click to expand...

Not only a great fisherman but they can guide you to fish on lakes. One time I was fishing Lake Nockamixon and having no luck (bass). I noticed a number of osprey sitting in trees and every once in a while one dove and caught a fish. I moved in and caught a number of bass along that shoreline.
 
Birds are always the best guides...I once even tipped one...left a stockie rainbow on a snow bank in Idaho. I was actually planning on picking it up on my way back but an eagle found it first.
 
I have to agree with Chaz. It is always hard to tell from just a description, but based on the description, I'd say probably an Osprey. Second choice would be a Goshawk. The size you described actually sounds more like a Goshawk to me, but I'm still going to guess Osprey because of where you saw it and the "ring" around it's neck. I'm not a birder, but I grew up near there and Goshawks were seen on rare occasion in the fall even back then.

All of the Rapters have made a pretty decent comeback. The Clarion River has a lot of fish in it, so it wouldn't surprise me to see the occasional Osprey on it. There are Eagles in the area, so why not?
 
I was on the Clarion several weeks ago and saw a large (darker color and larger than a hawk) bird.

Saw an Osprey on the Yough 2 months ago.
 
Maybe it was a "Clarion Golden Eagle" Heaven knows they haven't been showing up on the football field this year.
 
tomgamber wrote:
Maybe it was a "Clarion Golden Eagle" Heaven knows they haven't been showing up on the football field this year.
Click to expand...

Good point Tom. If it was circling over the Clarion football field, it was probably a vulture.
 
I came across a dead osprey on our home creek last year. It was on a shallow riffle. I rolled it over with my boot and it was limp (just dead) It had 2" talons and feet the size of my hand. not sure what killed it, no blood or nuthin. Anyway, it was pretty cool. I picked up a wing and it stretched to my midrift. So I'd give it a 5' wingspan.

A couple years ago, we couldn't seem to stock trout without having either a bald eagle or an osprey take at least one before we were done.

It is always a pleasure to see them in action.

Now I always wondered whay they never gained a taste for blue herons? That would be a dream come true. HErons do much more damage to a fishery than the raptors
 
C'mon Mo that Heron is just trying to feed his family. What if he's poor. Isn't that what we stock those fish anyway. I mean, they're just gonna die in there anyway.
 
:-D

BTW ...isn't yer signature ironic? with the recent weather and all.
:lol:
 
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