richard.heeks
Peregrine and Herring Gull, Exeter
OK, so I haven't got great focus or IQ (image quality) here. Let's call it a work in progress. But I couldn't NOT post this up.
How many birds will hassle gulls and crows? Not many I know of. Except peregrines!
The peregrine took offence at this gull for some reason and flew out from the nest in fighter jet attack mode: "yeek yeek yeek"! The falcon made a dive past the gull, as if to hand out a warning. But then the gull seemed to call back cockily, so the falcon dived again, but this time grabbed the gull and dragged it for a moment. (I'm not sure of that, but the photo seems to show it.) The gull wasn't so cocky after that. I wonder if the falcons are being so proactive at the moment because they've got chicks? I think this gull was being handed a firm warning! I guess the falcons ramp up the ante quicker than most birds, especially when they have chicks.
I'd love to get better focus and thus IQ, but it's going to be difficult. It all happens so fast. I tried to track on the peregrine, but they turn fast and dive fast. Which is an understatement!
The action around the falcons seems to kick off in the evenings. I caught this just after 7pm. A couple of evenings ago the falcons hassled the crows in the same kind of way. One crow even flew through the leaves and small branches of a tree to avoid the attacking falcon. That's a desperate course of action.
The amazing thing is that this can go on over a city, over people's heads, and no-one notices. And why should they? We're so used to hearing the shrieks of Herring Gulls! But now I'm hearing those shrieks and wondering what they mean.
Another strange thing is that people notice me watching the falcons, and they lament: 'pity they're not still there!' I went right up to the church yesterday and watched the male falcon ripping up a pigeon, feathers swirling out everywhere on the breeze. And an old woman stopped for a moment and said 'they moved the nesting box for em a couple of years back and they haven't been back since.' And there was the male falcon, just 50 feet above us, raining pigeon feathers down on us. I pointed him out, but she was disinterested, eyes on the ground by her feet. She was happier with her 'pity they've gone' script. People eh! Jesus!
(P.S. I know a couple of people who think that peregrines are small and lightweight birds. They're not. You can see the muscular power of the bird in this shot. A Herring Gull isn't a small and dainty bird to hassle.)
Peregrine and Herring Gull, Exeter
OK, so I haven't got great focus or IQ (image quality) here. Let's call it a work in progress. But I couldn't NOT post this up.
How many birds will hassle gulls and crows? Not many I know of. Except peregrines!
The peregrine took offence at this gull for some reason and flew out from the nest in fighter jet attack mode: "yeek yeek yeek"! The falcon made a dive past the gull, as if to hand out a warning. But then the gull seemed to call back cockily, so the falcon dived again, but this time grabbed the gull and dragged it for a moment. (I'm not sure of that, but the photo seems to show it.) The gull wasn't so cocky after that. I wonder if the falcons are being so proactive at the moment because they've got chicks? I think this gull was being handed a firm warning! I guess the falcons ramp up the ante quicker than most birds, especially when they have chicks.
I'd love to get better focus and thus IQ, but it's going to be difficult. It all happens so fast. I tried to track on the peregrine, but they turn fast and dive fast. Which is an understatement!
The action around the falcons seems to kick off in the evenings. I caught this just after 7pm. A couple of evenings ago the falcons hassled the crows in the same kind of way. One crow even flew through the leaves and small branches of a tree to avoid the attacking falcon. That's a desperate course of action.
The amazing thing is that this can go on over a city, over people's heads, and no-one notices. And why should they? We're so used to hearing the shrieks of Herring Gulls! But now I'm hearing those shrieks and wondering what they mean.
Another strange thing is that people notice me watching the falcons, and they lament: 'pity they're not still there!' I went right up to the church yesterday and watched the male falcon ripping up a pigeon, feathers swirling out everywhere on the breeze. And an old woman stopped for a moment and said 'they moved the nesting box for em a couple of years back and they haven't been back since.' And there was the male falcon, just 50 feet above us, raining pigeon feathers down on us. I pointed him out, but she was disinterested, eyes on the ground by her feet. She was happier with her 'pity they've gone' script. People eh! Jesus!
(P.S. I know a couple of people who think that peregrines are small and lightweight birds. They're not. You can see the muscular power of the bird in this shot. A Herring Gull isn't a small and dainty bird to hassle.)