Right outside the house in Richmond. Didn't think these came this far up

That's cool

They are everywhere up here around waco. And yes they are really cool imo!

Yes. We've had them on the NE side of town as long as I can remember. Seems like they are always in pairs.

Yea, just found this article from a couple years back how they've migrated much further north

https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/meet-carrion-craving-falcon-taking-over-texas/

Heck, I've seen them in Houston COUNTY!

Had a cow have a calf couple weeks ago in Chambers county and one showed up watching the calf.

I've seen them in Brenham area a lot lately, don't ever remember seeing them growing up.

they followed the white wings north and east

They have been in the area a while now, i first started seeing them about 12-13 years ago when i moved back. Growing up around here we didnt see them, so it has been in th last ~20ish years they started showing up.

We have seen them in Midlothian, TX SW of Dallas. I wouldn't have known what they were if I didn't have some hunting trips down south.

Grew up in Katy and I never saw these until I went dove hunting around Carrizo when I was 12-13 years old.

I'm in Katy now and see them almost every time I'm around 1463/1093 or out west to Fulshear. I also see them everywhere down by El Campo and south where I duck hunt.

No idea what changed but imagine their just like the white wing dove and their territory has shifted north and east.

Most ranchers I know hate them. Funny you said it was watching a calf. Those things go for the eyes of calf's and fawns. Hard to run away when you can't see.

But maybe that's an old wives tale.

kmac30 said:

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Most ranchers I know hate them. Funny you said it was watching a calf. Those things go for the eyes of calf's and fawns. Hard to run away when you can't see.

But maybe that's an old wives tale.

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Exactly what he was doing. Lets say i stood in the field with a shotgun waiting. ******* ended up having dinner on the left overs of the new "steer parts" I had thrown on the ground.

Good on you. I hate them.

Yeah we see em around Pecan Grove area every year for last 5+ yrs, becoming regulars.

Use to be nothing but buzzards in the gut pile, now these outnumber buzzards 3 to 1. And they definitely have more predator tendencies than buzzards.

and yet there is literally no video/picture evidence of any of these blind calves.

stick with me here for a second. maybe, just maybe they are scavengers and millions of years of evolution have taught them that after birth is high calorie food.

I've seen two near Waurika Oklahoma. Range is really expanding.

We've been seeing them regularly for a few years in the Ennis area. Cool looking birds. Our calves still have eyes.

Brown County Texas Caracara Club checking in

They are part of the Falcon family.

The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found from the southern United States through Central and South America to Tierra del Fuego.

I see them with vultures on roadkill a lot but sometimes they make their own. I have photographed them from Williamson Co. southeast to the coast. Photographed many in Brazos Co.

They flipped this meal over and began biology class dissection.


Odd head flip behavior is common.


Off of Miller Rd. east Brazos Co. Went to meet a second one.


Juvenile

Saw one SE of Houston last week

Seen quite a few in the past few years in NW Fort Bend County/Katy area

They are pretty much everywhere in Texas now that isn't too heavily forested or straight desert.

Apparently Gonzales county has the largest concentration of Caracara in the US. See them all the time on 90A feasting on road kill. The Audubon Society takes their annual census at Palmetto State Park in Gonzales Co. Very cool lookin birds. Nicknamed the Mexican Eagle.

Hate those mfers. Always surrounding my cows when they calve.

And they do exactly what?

Die from lead poisoning

Next time wait until they eat the calves eye balls and take a picture. Then shoot them. That way we have at least one picture of this epidemic. Currently there are more pictures of black panthers in east texas than there are of caracaras harming any calves or fawns.

Watch them up here in Rockwall County all the time.

Oh yeah. We are in Spring/Klein and our house backs up to a farm.

See them in the pasture all the time.

Na Zdrav 87 said:

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Die from lead poisoning

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Probably not a great idea to admit to killing a federally protected species on an open message board. Have you ever actually seen them attack a calf that was healthy? Like a lot of other wildlife stories, I have always suspected they hang around looking for placenta, and if a calf is stillborn or born deformed/unhealthy, they are there to take advantage if they don't survive. Then the rancher walks up and sees a dead calf with its eyes pecked out and assumes the birds killed it.