[Tweeters] rare birds are too conspicuous!

[Dan Reiff]

Hello Dennis,

Thank you for the post.
That must have been a great thing to experience!
I hope the godwit made it!
Was it a juvenile or adult Peregrine?
I hope it was a hatch year bird with less hunting experience.

Also, someone reported seeing an unusually large number of Willets there. Did you?

I understand a hunting falcon will have a higher probability of success If one of the birds in the flock is acting differently from the others, breaks from the group or has noticeably different size and coloration.

In the past, I’ve spent many days filming Merlin and Peregrine falcon hunting groups of shorebirds on the coast. One of my observations was that when a falcon first attacked multiple species flocks-feeding together-they panicked and flew out over the ocean waves, they would immediately form species specific groups, independent of the others.
When a falcon would pursue one species group, the others would return to the beach, and again begin feeding.
On one occasion, as I was filming a large group of Godwits , Dunlin and Semipalmated Plovers feeding together at OS, a Merlin passed me from behind and put up the whole group. The falcon targeted the Dunlin, which had in panic, broken into two groups, 
Up to 200 feet apart. Even as the nearer group was being repeatedly stooped, the second group, instead of flying away, came back to rejoin the first group as the Merlin continued to stoop and eventually isolated an individual and flew away with it to eat it-150 feet away-from all of the species groups which resumed feeding together at the same location.
I found that to be very interesting.

Thanks again,
Dan Reiff

Sent from my iPhone


> On Sep 17, 2023, at 11:38 AM, Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net> wrote:

> 

> Hello tweets,

> 

> I was among a large group of birders at Tokeland yesterday who witnessed a Peregrine Falcon scare up the big flock of godwits at the marina at 11:25 am. The falcon singled out a bird from the flock and pursued it. The godwit dropped into the water and the falcon missed, but it made a long circling flight and came back after it, pursuing it along the water and then up and up into the air, heading to the south until both were out of sight. There was some thought that it was the single Hudsonian Godwit that had been with the flock, but we weren’t absolutely sure.

> 

> I took very distant photos of the whole affair, and looking at them just now, I can confirm that it was in fact the Hudsonian that the Peregrine was after. The white rump and black tail are clearly visible as the godwit flew away, the falcon in hot pursuit.

> 

> Dennis Paulson

> Seattle

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