Photo Friday
Peregrine Falcon
This Peregrine Falcon was nesting on cliffs near Niagara Falls. We spent several minutes watching it swoop after seagulls before it came in for a landing on a small tree just below us. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
Do you see the Peregrine in this picture? I was surprised to have caught it at all because, according to my bird book, they average 25-34 mph (40-55 km/h) in traveling flight, and reach speeds up to 69 mph (112 km/h) in direct pursuit of prey. During its hunting stoop from heights of over 0.62 mi (1 km), the peregrine may reach speeds of 200 mph (320 km/h) as it drops toward its prey.
posted by Amy N. @ 9:58 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Lily, the first picture has come out so well and I can see you are happy about the second too. I remember your camera when you were here and I was mighty impressed. What kind of zoom it has as I am looking for a better zoom now.
It's amazing the power and speed they have! Peregrines are cool. In Cleveland, they have nesting Peregrines on the tall buildings downtown. They help to control the pigeon population in the city! (I'm sure other cities back east must do this, too. I just know about Cleveland.)
Mridula, I was really pleased that the peregrine landed in a tree so close to us so that I could get a decent picture. The second one isn't great quality, but it's really hard to catch them in flight because they're so fast!
It was especially fun to see one because they're fairly rare and still on the New York State Endangered Species list.
Mo, they are cool, especially in flight. I've read that there's been a lot of success introducing them into cities because they need very little other than a tall building and a ledge to lay their eggs on.
Oh, and Mridula, my camera has a 12x digital zoom. I recommend looking at http://pcmag.shopping.com if you're in the market for a new camera. It lets you search by different categories and read professional and consumer reviews.
Lily, thanks I will keep this in mind when I finally decide to upgrade my camera.
It is notoriously difficult to photograph birds, which is why I'm so impressed with your pictures. I did a lot of bird watching while in East Africa, but have very few decent pictures of all the birds I saw.
Thanks, Crystal. They are hard to photograph and very hard to track with a regular digital camera. That's why I like it when they sit still! :)
We went to a slide presentation last year by a guy who'd gone on photo safari in Africa (don't remember which countries). He was kind of a bird nut and he got lots of great pictures; it looks like a great place to birdwatch.
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