[Birdtalk] Peregrine Falcons

[Steve Coleman]

Yesterday I had a rare experience I wanted to share with you all on the
Bird Talk list. I had the great opportunity to take a group of 8-12 year
old girls for a presentation and tour of Farmington Bay. As we made the
first turn headed west down the road to Goose Egg Island and the unit 1
dike I noticed two Raptores circling. I stopped the van, got out and
took a good look. It was two Peregrine Falcons it appeared that one was
a parent bird and the other a juvenile, we watched them circle right
over our heads for a couple of minutes then from the direction of the
unit 1 pond came a third Peregrine with a fairly large bird in it's
talons still alive, flapping it's wings and squawking. As the third bird
flew in the other two started diving at each him and it became obvious
to me we were witnessing the parents teaching their young bird how to
hunt and kill it's own prey. It appeared like the parent with the
unfortunate bird in it's talons was trying to get the juvenile to take
the it from him. They did this display for us for several minutes then
all three of them took off over the unit 1 pond and out of sight. What
an opportunity to watch nature in action and especially to share it with
children, they were all very impressed but none as much as me. This will
undoubtedly be one of the top 5 memorable birding experiences of my
life.
 
The birding was great the birds were very active we saw all the usual
birds in large numbers. In addition to the usual birds seen we saw my
first Black terns for the year. These birds were on old posts that stand
in the water on the pond between the east dike road and the Bountiful
Landfill. This area is accessible by foot or bicycle, or by car with a
scheduled tour with one of the Farmington Bay naturalists.
 
Happy Birding
Steve
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