Today I watched a juvenile Peregrine Falcon for more 15 minutes as it flew around trying to catch a bird for dinner and as it perched twice in a cottonwood about 150 feet away. I was able to get some pretty good pics that show field marks well. I believe it had field marks consistent with a juvenile "American" (*F.p. anatum*) Peregrine Falcon described in detail in Brian Wheeler's *Raptors of Western North America (p. 474--*not the 'lightly marked type') * *including the following: a 'wide type' malar mark that blends with it's dark cap; a dark forehead with a "narrow tawny patch"; nape is a mix of dark coloration and some pale patches; it has tawny auriculars; the ventral part of it's body is "rufous-tawny with moderately wiede dark brown streaking on the breast, belly and lower belly"; the flanks I could see well are streaked; the leg feathers are tawny with pretty wide markings (Wheeler says "streaking" but that isn't clear in my pics); the dorsal portion of the wings are dark brown and there are tawny colored edging on the coverts; the ventral portion of the remiges are dark with pretty wide rufous bars while the coverts are tawny with brown barring; the dorsal surface of it's tail is not well seen in the one pic in which it is seen.
Wheeler notes that the "American" (*anatum) *subspecies were the birds released in the reintroductions in the western U.S. so this would be the expected subspecies seen here but it's nice to have the photos show the field marks that seem to confirm it. Like other juveniles, it's hunting skills are not well honed and it made several misses. In fact it never did catch anything before it finally flew away. While perched the apparent resident Red-tailed Hawk flew in and expressed it's displeasure loudly at this invader. The hawk did not fly in too closely and the Peregrine didn't flush; however, the peregrine did react when the Redtail was calling by moving it's head around in the manner that Great Horned Owls do (hard to describe). I have some of the better photos posted on my blog at http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com including a few of the Peregrine in flight. SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
