ML71655391

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Earlier today, I was biking to buy some beets when I saw a falcon, pursued by a flock of starlings, fly overhead in the direction of my neighborhood. I didn't have my bins, and I figured it was a kestrel, because that'd be the least unusual falcon to encounter on this particular exurban bike path, but I couldn't be sure and didn't get a good read on its size. An hour or so later I was in my kitchen, cooking the beets, when I suddenly heard a screech-owl call from my backyard. I ran out hoping to find it. There was a bit of corvid commotion, and I found a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but didn't see the owl. No matter- next thing I saw a falcon with something in its talons fly straight toward my yard, pivot up, and land on a nearby powerline tower. I got a good look at it, realized it was a Peregrine, and ran back inside to grab my camera. The bird was skittish- when I got back outside it saw me and flew to another pole. I followed it, staying back a comfortable distance, and got a few distant but identifiable pictures. As I was doing this, a second Peregrine appeared and perched in a tree nearby. Then the first bird took off, screaming, and the second followed, and they flew to a poll much farther down the powerline. I went home and finished cooking my beets. An exhilarating, memorable yardbird incident, to be sure.

Technical information

Model

E-M5

Lens

LUMIX G VARIO 45-200/F4.0-5.6

ISO

400

Focal length

200 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

4608 pixels x 2592 pixels

Original file size

3.37 MB