Peregrine VS Burrowing Owl, Part 2

Peregrine on mud flats right after failed attack. Notice the band. The falcon stayed here for a few minutes, quite close to the burrow and to us, and kept looking at the owls. I suspect that it was the presence of Lia and I and my bright red pickup that may have prevented a second attack.

Then the falcon moved about 250 yards away and waited for an opportunity to attack the owls again. It was very persistant and hung out here for about 20 minutes before finally flying off. It seemed to plop it's body right into this small bush and spread it's wings over the plant in a very curious manner.

By this time the four juvies had disappeared down the burrow but the lone parent bird stayed on the surface, in this semi-protected place, and barked out warning calls for as long as the falcon hung around.

Lia and I were somewhat surprised that a falcon would attack another raptor like this in what was apparently a food related attack but BNA Online cites examples of attacks by Peregrines on Short-eared Owls for food so it may not be all that unusual. We are curious to know if any of you have witnessed such attacks and if our tentative ID on the falcon is correct (we wondered if it could be a Prairie Falcon).

The images here aren't great ones, for sure, but we felt that they did help to illustrate what we saw.

But perhaps the most amazing thing of all was this - Lia was so traumatized by what she was afraid she was going to witness that her shutter finger froze for about 15 seconds. First time that's ever happened, I'm sure!

Ron,

It is the only time my shutter finger has ever frozen!

It might be a Prairie falcon, note the wingtips do not reach the tail tip.

Bill, at first Ron and I both thought it was a Prairie Falcon, but the underside of the wing does not look at all like a Prairie which is much lighter and is not as uniformly spotted/barred as my image of the falcon shows. Plus the Prairie has a white spot behind the eye in both the adults & juveniles, this bird does not show a white spot there. The Peale's or Pacific subspecies of the Peregrine has a dark helmet in both the adults & juveniles, where the bird we saw yesterday has a lighter crown and an incomplete helmet.

Very interesting images and story. Thank you both for the posting. I really enjoyed it. [Ron, on my monitor the falcon in the first image of your post looks like he has a square head pasted on a body! As I examine it I can see that it must be just his pose combined with his coloration...but at first glance it does add a bit of unintentional mystery to your posting!]

Cool images and story, looks like a Peregrine to me.

I am not an expert, and I am probably wrong, but I think it is a prairie falcon. I see peregrines almost daily where I am currently working and the crown on the bird pictured is just too light. All the peregrines I have seen have black crowns and napes forming a very distinct helmet. This bird does not have a helmet and overall look very light colored (second image of it in the grass). Just my two cents.

I wouldn't weigh in on the falcon species, but it is an interesting series, Ron & Lia. I can certainly understand a 15 second freeze in a circumstance like that. While I'd love to catch a raptor in action, if it were one of our backyard birds, I'd probably be pretty upset myself.

Pity you can't read the ring number!

This is awesome. I would bet a lens that's a Peregrine. In response to the other question, Peregrines are well-known among falconers for being able & willing to kill other raptor species. I've seen one stoop on and kill an American Kestrel, and go after a variety of other raptors.

Just now outside my window I watched a Peregrine Falcon that could be this dude's brother turn a pigeon into a an exploding cloud of feathers and a piece of meat. If there's any doubt, I can ask Ted Swem to look at these photos - Ted has banded thousands of Pergrines - but what Lia and Ron captured is classic PEFA behavior: If it's PEFA-sized or smaller and moves, it's lunch...

Terrific photo sequence between the two of you.

Amazing story!