A Digestive Surprise For A Young Swainson’s Hawk
I believe this juvenile Swainson’s Hawk was taken by surprise by what it found in its mouth.
Tag: throw up
Northern Harrier Vomiting
No great photography today but some interesting behavior. I’ve often seen and photographed various bird species hacking up a pellet but this was my first experience with one vomiting. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When I first got this Northern Harrier in my viewfinder I thought it was acting slightly odd – it seemed lethargic, reluctant to fly and its head was hanging low. Then it suddenly vomited. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The vomitus was thick, mucus-like and stringy and I’m quite sure no pellet was expelled. I had an email discussion about this behavior with a friend (thanks once again Ingrid) and sent her these photos. They were forwarded to the Cascades Raptor Center who said that this behavior is something they’ve not seen before and that it isn’t “normal”. When this bird had finished vomiting it stayed perched (very unusual) as I drove through a gate perhaps 25′ to the right of the bird. I drove down the road to let it recover in peace and when I returned about a half hour later it was gone. Ron
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Northern Harrier Vomiting
No great photography today but some interesting behavior. I’ve often seen and photographed various bird species hacking up a pellet but this was my first experience with one vomiting. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc When I first got this Northern Harrier in my viewfinder I thought it was acting slightly odd – it seemed lethargic, reluctant to fly and its head was hanging low. Then it suddenly vomited. 1/500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc The vomitus was thick, mucus-like and stringy and I’m quite sure no pellet was expelled. I had an email discussion about this behavior with a friend (thanks once again Ingrid) and sent her these photos. They were forwarded to the Cascades Raptor Center who said that this behavior is something they’ve not seen before and that it isn’t “normal”. When this bird had finished vomiting it stayed perched (very unusual) as I drove through a gate perhaps 25′ to the right of the bird. I drove down the road to let it recover in peace and when I returned about a half hour later it was gone. Ron