Page 34 - Veterinary diagnostic imaging birds exotic pets wildlife

30 SECTION I III The Birds
Figure 2-10 • A grackle keeps a wary eye out.
2-10). Northern orioles are seen for a brief period
during the spring in our part of Saskatchewan on their
way to northern feeding and nesting grounds (Figure
2-11). These birds belong to the family Icteridae and
are sometimes called blackbirds, although many, such
as the oriole, are not truly black.
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Figure 2-9 • A duck clamps down on a radiographer’s
fi nger.
III EAGLES, HAWKS, AND OWLS
Eagles, hawks, and owls, so-called birds of prey, are
spectacular creatures whether seen soaring in the sky
or perched high in a wilderness spruce. Arguably the
most magnificent of these, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus
leucocephalus), is the national symbol of the United
States and quite plentiful in central Saskatchewan
(Figure 2-12).
Hawks are more morphologically diverse than
many realize, featuring specimens nearly as large as
eagles, such as Swainson’s hawk (Figure 2-13), or as
small as robins, such as the kestrel (Figure 2-14). A
Merlin may nest atop a downtown office building, in
a tree along a suburban bike trail, or on a power pole
along the highway.
It has been said of owls that they are heard more
often than seen, although their prey probably likely
sense neither, only the bite of the owl’s talons a fraction
of a second before being carried away (Figure 2-15).
III HERONS, LOONS, GREBES,
AND KINGFISHERS
I group herons, loons, grebes, and kingfi shers together
because of my experience on western Canadian water-
ways rather than because of any taxonomical organiza-
tion. I recall the slow-motion wing beat of the great
blue heron or the distinctive call of the loon as it rever-
berates across a northern lake at sunset (Figure 2-16).
III PELICANS, CORMORANTS,
AND GULLS
Pelicans, cormorants, and gulls are grouped together
here because of personal preference; I have frequently
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