[Tweeters] The owl and the harrier

[Robert O'Brien]

Just recalled a more amazing story.  Heard this on OBOL a few years back.
A Peregrine was harassing a Bald Eagle at Yaquina Bay, Newport OR.
Repeatedly dive-bombing an eagle just cruising through.  Flew back up, dove
again.  Feisty.
After a few such passes, the Eagle got fed up (literally)  On the next pass
the Eagle simply flipped upside down, grabbing the peregrine.  Lunch had
been served.  (Actually lunch had _been_ the server!)
Bob OBrien Portland
PS  Honest, I'm no making this stuff up.

On Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 6:40 PM Alan Roedell <alanroedell at gmail.com> wrote:


> Wow! Right in front of you. You had a front row seat. Amazing!

>

> On Mon, Feb 13, 2023, 5:38 PM Robert O'Brien <baro at pdx.edu> wrote:

>

>> Cool indeed

>> Decades ago, at the Nehalem Sewage ponds.over at the coast from Portland,

>> as I was driving out I noticed a pair of birds coming 500 yards off to my

>> left.  It was a Peregrine after a Rock Pigeon. Rock Pigeons can fly pretty

>> fast and as I slowed down, my car and the pair appeared to be on a

>> collision course.  Sure enough, just as I came to a stop, right in front of

>> my windshield, the Peregrine was overtaking the Pigeon & at that point also

>> turned upside down, to capture the pigeon from below.  But my car

>> intervened and disrupted the capture at the last second.

>> The peregrine then veered off and disappeared.  The Pigeon, however,

>> continued on, crashing at 60+mph into the large Blackberry Hedge lining the

>> road.  I got out and photographed the pigeon down inside the tangle.  It

>> wasn't coming out for anything.

>> Bob OBrien  Portland

>>

>> On Mon, Feb 13, 2023 at 2:55 PM Jack Stephens <jstephens62 at comcast.net>

>> wrote:

>>

>>> Earlier this winter I was up at the East 90 on the Samish Flats

>>> photographing Short-eared Owls. As often happens, they were skirmishing

>>> with the Northern Harriers there that occupy a similar ecological niche.

>>> These two birds spared briefly before flying off in opposite directions.

>>> Only when I reviewed the images later did I realize that the harrier had

>>> flipped completely upside down in flight, to meet the attacking owl with

>>> her talons. I thought this was too cool to not share.

>>>

>>> https://jackstephens.zenfolio.com/p763235708/e57c27b2e

>>>

>>> Jack Stephens

>>> Edmonds, WA

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