I live in a podunk town in Southeast Ohio, insert hillybilly joke here please! lol Anyhow, Piketon population around 2,000 and I live in town. House to the right and the fire department building to the left of me. I have 1 tree in my yard with about 100 stinking blackbirds.

Yesterday evening about 7:30 pm I notice a large bird flying overhead and assume it is a red tail hawk which are all over the place here. Next thing I know, this thing drops out of the sky like a missile and barrels into my tree. A lot of screeching and rustling and the thing flies out of there with a blackbird in its claws. Now, the markings were not like a red tail hawk. It was more darker and deeper browns and blacks with the tips of its wings and tail a gray color.

Definately not a red tail hawk, but could it be a juvenile? Or another type of bird? A falcon perhaps, I dont know so I am asking the chatter crowd.

Sounds like a Falcon.

Description
Peregrines have a distinctive appearance. The head and neck area are blackish with a dark wedge of coloration extending below the eyes that forms a “helmet” or hooded appearance. The throat, chin, and ear patch are contrasted by white feathers. The upper body ranges from a bluish-black or slate gray to rich brown; the back, the feathers of the bird’s shoulders, and the small feathers on top of the wings and over the tail feathers have a faint cross pattern or barring, while the rump and tail feathers are more strongly barred. Wing and tail feathers have broad horizontal bars. Underparts are white to cream colored; males have a few blackish spots on the upper breast becoming horizontal bars on the lower breast and abdomen, extending to the sides, flanks and upper thighs. Females are more heavily spotted on the upper breast and become heavily barred on the abdomen, flanks, thighs, and under the tail feathers. In the adult, the iris of the eye is very dark brown, and non-feathered portions of the lower leg and the feet are bright yellow.

I found this one as well it could be. Its called a thick skin hawk.

All I know was this thing was twenty feet from me in this tree going off. It was fun to watch!

Thunderbird

Pterodactyl

...F'n Klingon's stealing our blackbirds!

Dammit I got to this thread too late. I was totally going to post a picture of a Klingon Bird of Prey.

juvenile bald eagle possibly, we got em up here in norther ross co

Chances are, if you noticed it creating a disturbance in your tree, it was not a falcon...they are typically much smaller than a Red tailed Hawk, and a pretty stealthy bird.

We also get pretty accustomed to seeing Red-tails here, so if it is a different raptor, it is pretty easy to notice the difference...

my vote goes to a Marsh Hawk, or a southerly displaced Goshawk...

to take a bird out of a tree, it would have to be a pretty big and aggressive bird...I don't think a falcon fits that bill...

an eagle is a possibility, but I think a larger and unusual hawk fits that bill better...

I bet if they were whitebirds they'd be welcome in ur tree, huh?

^^^^^^ Too funny!

Fab1b;484702 wrote:Thunderbird

Most definately.

redstreak one;484685 wrote:I live in a podunk town in Southeast Ohio, insert hillybilly joke here please! lol Anyhow, Piketon population around 2,000 and I live in town. House to the right and the fire department building to the left of me. I have 1 tree in my yard with about 100 stinking blackbirds.

Yesterday evening about 7:30 pm I notice a large bird flying overhead and assume it is a red tail hawk which are all over the place here. Next thing I know, this thing drops out of the sky like a missile and barrels into my tree. A lot of screeching and rustling and the thing flies out of there with a blackbird in its claws. Now, the markings were not like a red tail hawk. It was more darker and deeper browns and blacks with the tips of its wings and tail a gray color.

Definately not a red tail hawk, but could it be a juvenile? Or another type of bird? A falcon perhaps, I dont know so I am asking the chatter crowd.

Now I know exactly where you live!! I used to roam the streets of Piketon as a kid. My grandma lived in the only house on the block with the old high school, beside the church and ambulance station.

To answer your question, with the A-Plant so close, it was probably some sort of Uranium enriched super bird.