Expert: Julia Booth - 7/12/2010

Question
QUESTION: I went on a late hike , on my way back I heard chirping.,..thing a ground bird nest.. next I hear a vrooom sound that made me duck my head... looked up and saw this bird , that did it twice again in a different area.pointed wings sounds like the sound effects from WWII movies. Pulled in its wings as it dove and made the sound as it pulled up.. happened at dusk ... maybe hawk type famliy??Kestrel

ANSWER: Is there a complete sentence in here somewhere? I can't see it. LOL.

Bear in mind that if you can't accurately describe what you saw or heard, the chances of me being able to figure out what it was are slim.

But I will attempt to decipher your note.

First of all, I have been birding for about fifteen years now. I have never heard a bird make a "vrooom" sound.

A kestrel does not have pointed wings. It is also not in the hawk family.

Are you near water? A bird whose wings are pointed and who is diving at its prey is more than likely a tern of some sort.

I will need to know a little more before I can help you.

1. Where are you? (state, province, county)

2. How large was the bird in question?

3. How far above you was the bird in question?

4. What color was the bird?

5. Did the bird make any sound, other than "vrooom"?

6. What sort of habitat were you in?

7. What time of day was this? (late is kind of vague)


Let me know and we will go from there,


Julia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you! Washington state, in the Columbia river Gorge,7miles west of White Salmon, in the Cathrine Creek area! <2> about the size of a woodpecker or so..<3>75-100ft..<4>tan/greyish and black (I think black edged on the wingtips)..<5> a chirping <6> Dry grassy area in rock and trees, above the Columbia  River If needed i can send you pictures of the area if you like <7> dusk , about 8:45 or so . Hope this helps"us", thank you ! Ted

Answer
The height implies a raptor of some sort. The location says it could be a bald eagle, a rough-legged hawk, an osprey, or a northern harrier. But those are all much larger than a woodpecker. The only bird of prey that is the size of a woodpecker is the kestrel. But kestrels would not be found flying that high, and are unlikely to make a noise like the one you described.

Kestrel was your first guess. Can I ask how you arrived at that conclusion? Did you look at any pictures and compare them to what you saw? If so, it's possible that you are correct.

Sites that might be helpful to you:

http://www.1000birds.com/reports_WA.htm

http://washingtonbirds.com/