December 26 Email:
Merry Christmas! I spent the afternoon at the Wastewater and I thought I would share a kind of cool experience. I came across a young Peregrine Falcon near a huge flock of Northern Shovelers. The falcon seemed very comfortable with my presence and the presence of other people in the area. At one point, it launched from its perch, only to harass a Snowy Owl. It returned several times to its perch after continually harassing the owl. (I saw an eagle attack one of the owls last week, so they seem to have to deal with this sort of thing a lot).
After a while, the falcon launched in the other direction, toward the west lagoon. It proceeded to knock down a Ruddy Duck, and after trying for over an hour to lift the duck from the ice, it gave up and flew away. I noticed that the peregrine was banded. I have attached a few images; the light was bad, but hopefully they will be of interest
Keven, they certainly are of interest. A fascinating account too. Thanks! That "butt shot" seems to show a silver band on the right leg with black "S" over blue "17" on the left. Perhaps someone viewing this could give us more information about the bird. It may be the same falcon I saw there on Nov. 17 (photo below) and has been reported frequently on eBird. - Ric
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