Raptor ID, Please!

Hikin' Mike

This was taken this evening at the Merced NWR, CA. I was "walking" through a small wooded area with my youngest daughter and all of a sudden I see this bird start to fly away. Since I wasn't ready for it, I got one photo. I remember the under body was mainly white and I think I remember seeing spots. I'm thinking it may be some type of Owl, but I'm not sure. I just cropped this from landscape to portrait for composition...


Canon 5D, 300mm f/4L IS, 1.4TC, HH
ISO 400, 1/2000, f/8

DonRicklin

I'd say owl, maybe barred. good last second capture!

Don

jwear

owl is a good pick but maybe have a look at the northern harrier

raptorcaptor

jwear wrote:

owl is a good pick but maybe have a look at the northern harrier

I can tell you what it is not!

Not a Harrier (no white spot on the rump)
Not a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned.

Not an easy photo to get an ID from!

Hikin' Mike

raptorcaptor wrote:

I can tell you what it is not!

Not a Harrier (no white spot on the rump)
Not a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned.

Not an easy photo to get an ID from!

You've got that right! I had somebody else say it may be a Barn Owl. I just wish it would have locked on better. Oh well, at least my daughter (7 years old) and I was able to capture it in our head.

bfjr

jwear wrote:

owl is a good pick but maybe have a look at the northern harrier

jwear

raptorcaptor wrote:

I can tell you what it is not!

Not a Harrier (no white spot on the rump)
Not a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned.

Not an easy photo to get an ID from!

look again Glen the white spot you could not see in this shot and angle -it was just another pick over owl --low flying and daytime color also

redleash

I suspect it's a barn owl. I'll keep looking in my bird books.

raptorcaptor

jwear wrote:

look again Glen the white spot you could not see in this shot and angle -it was just another pick over owl --low flying and daytime color also

Sorry wasn't trying to pick a fight! Some of my other reasons were the body shape is too stubby, and the wings are too short, and has too much light color near the edges on the topside. On a female Harrier it is almost solid chocolate brown on the top with the lighter color on the underside of the wings. Also have you ever seen a Harrier with the wingtips being so rounded!

I would go with your barn owl id!

Ps. Thanks for the vote!

Hikin' Mike

Hey, thanks everybody. It looks like a Barn Owl. Here's a photo and here's the link as it's not mine: http://www.ardgrain.com/files/images/un-noded/barn-owls/barn-owl-flying.jpg