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Re: Peregrine Falcon takes American Oystercatcher





On Tue, 26 Mar 2002, Reece Mitchell wrote:

> Peregrines have been known to take Mallards. I suspect that is about the
> upper limit.
>                                      Reece Mitchell
>                                      rmitche2@tds.net


Hence the old name for the species:  Duck Hawk.


An interesting tale to share.  A couple of years ago at Rankin WMA
in Cocke Co., TN (ok not in the Carolinas but just across the border),
I was leading a shorebird fieldtrip.  An adult Peregrine was in the
area and made a somewhat casual pass through the shorebirds.  All
the shorebirds took flight except a juvenile Marbled Godwit which
hunkered down a bit and kept watch on the falcon but didn't seem
overly concerned.  The Peregrine made a couple of lazy passes at
some other birds, mainly seeming to size them up, looking for weak
members of the flock.

The falcon then turned its attention to the godwit, coming at it
dead on at a quick pace but far from a full-out stoop.  The Marbled
Godwit hunkered down some more with its wings spread out and bill
pointed to the sky.  As the Peregrine approached, the godwit thrust
upward, stabbing at the falcon with its long bill and uttered a
squawk.  The Peregrine did a less than graceful 180 degree turn
and headed back the way it had came.  The godwit shrugged and shook
its feathers back in place then went back to feeding.


Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN
kde@utk.edu