ML551769461

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Exact count of birds encountered in several sections of the fields. Twenty seven birds were observed engaging in an "aerial assembly" in the northwest corner of the fields. Initially, I observed the birds moving north along the western boundary of the fields and wondered if they were still dispersing from a roost site. However, when the birds reached the area a bit farther west of the junction of Thompson and River streets they gathered in one spot and were rolling and diving in the strong winds (northwesterly, I think). The birds would rise and fall in the wind as singles, pairs, trios, and quartets. Frequently, the birds dropped below the trees on the horizon and rapidly ascended to great heights before diving and rolling again. This behavior continued for close to forty five minutes and the birds stayed in the same general area for the duration of my observation. The birds were still engaging in this behavior when I left to check out some other sections of the fields. I also observed a Common Raven harass a first year Bald Eagle and a light morph Rough-legged Hawk as the raptors were soaring fairly close to each other.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX70 HS

Lens

3.8-247mm

ISO

100

Focal length

247 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

4291 pixels x 3074 pixels

Original file size

1.23 MB