Manitoba Peregrines > Other Peregrine Sightings in Manitoba
Non-Resident Sightings - 2020
The Peregrine Chick:
--- Quote from: willmax11 on July 16, 2009, 15:14 ---O.K. 14:26 Today. I go and pick up my mail from the local boxes. I see a bird fighting the NW wind and finally land on a 40' fir tree. Just as I am opening my car door what do I hear but "THAT" call. I grab my binocs from the car and spot a Peregrine youngster perched about 20 yards away swaying in that tall fir tree and calling out. I can def. see the tan chest feathers and as it turns it's head I see the black eye-patch. But the call was what first alerted me. I kept my glasses on it for about 15 minutes.
--- End quote ---
Hadn't read this information before I answered on your new thread Willmax, but from your description, you saw a merlin, not a peregrine. Merlins have the malar stripe and young merlins and many adult merlins look just like juvenile peregrines. They also sound just like peregrines, as well as fly, hunt, etc, etc, etc. But its the tree that gives it away though, merlins nest in crow's nests in tall evergreens - they are woodland specialists and what you described is how you see 80% of merlins at this time of the year. Peregrines are big and sitting in evergreens is difficult when you aren't built to fly through branches ... yes, I know that sounds weird, but they hunt above trees (and buildings) and over waterbodies and open fields, they don't as a general rule hunt among trees - just too dangerous at the speeds they fly.
Here's a link to check the vocalizations you heard .... http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/sounds
These images don't show the malar stripe but they do show plumage in detail ...
As for the tall towers/grain elevators nearby, that doesn't increase the likelihood of it being a peregrine I'm afraid - peregrines aren't attracted to tall structures, they are attracted to tall structures near other tall structures on the banks of rivers/wetlands/lakes/oceans - not a few miles away from water, right on the water.
The Peregrine Chick:
I'm assuming that the bird you saw was identified as a juvenile by its plumage? Gold and brown, yes? Problem is, there are no peregrines in Manitoba, Saskatchewan or North Dakota (that we know about) that are currently old enough to be at Oak Hammock Marsh area hunting on their own. Our birds were here early and were not slow raising a family and are the first to fledge in these jurisidictions. And the chicks only have the brown & gold plumage for a few months, by this time next year they will look like their parents - dark slate grey & white.
Could it have been a merlin, or perhaps a Prairie Falcon though they aren't as interested in wetlands as peregrines but could have been hunting over the fields which they are definitely interested in. I do know that there are a few merlins that visit the Marsh on a regular basis. Coopers Hawk juveniles are brown and peregrine sized as are broad-winged hawks. Have only seen a couple of Coopers at the Marsh but we had huge numbers (100s per day) of Broad-wings in the spring - Swainson's as well, though they are larger, right colours though ...
Sorry to be a party-pooper :'( , but because of the timing and distance from our known nests, without a photo, I'm inclined to think your sighting was of another raptor species ...
Merlin - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/lifehistory - smaller & photo is only one colour combination for the species
Prairie Falcon - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Prairie_Falcon/lifehistory - peregrine-sized
Coopers Hawk - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory - peregrine-sized
Broad-winged Hawk - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/lifehistory - peregrine-sized
Swainson's Hawk - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Hawk/lifehistory - larger than the largest peregrines
If you see the bird - GET PHOTOS - even if they suck we can tell if its a peregrine or not ...
willmax11:
Kinderchick;
I answered your question in a new topic in the Other Sightings in Manitoba thread.
http://www.species-at-risk.mb.ca/projects/pfrp/forum/programs/index.php/topic,1266.new.html#new
willmax11:
I thought I better split this sighting to here just in case it gets confused with the Radisson family.
Kinderchick;
Could that really have been a peregrine youngster you saw near Stonewall, willmax? I thought that our youngsters were still hanging out in the downtown area. Do you think that maybe it could have been a kestral or a hmmm? The other species of Manitoba falcon has momentarily slipped my mind. What do you think, TPC? Would our downtown peregrine juvies be way over in Stonewall at this point in time?
To answer Kinderchick;
I said that I would look towards Stonewall. Sighting was near Lockport.
I am certain with the 70KPH NW winds that day that it was def. not a Radisson chick.
It would have been blown to Steinbach area if it was.
I would have never posted about the July 16th sighting unless I was certain
it was a juvenile I had seen. I spent a few hours sat. doing convoy zigzagging to the NW of the sighting
and ended up at Oak Hammock Marsh site. I go to an offsite place where there is a spring well
coming out of the ground. And guess what that road is named??? Peregrine Drive. LOL
I e-mailed them asking about sightings. They have the Peregrine listed on their sighting list.
B4 I left I recorded the only sound file I have onto a CD, 8 seconds on one CD! LOL
I spoke to a couple of people and let them hear the sounds. The Peregrine name means wanderer
so maybe the youngster is nearer to Lockport.
I am going to search the Red river bank along River road for a while and check the duck ponds also.
For all the birds I did hear and see if that youngster has the instinct to capture prey it is a hunters
paradise around here.
There is a cell tower across the road from here. In hindsight I should have at least recorded a video
on my cell phone or run back and got my digital camera.
At the least I know of one juvenile that was near Lockport last week, just have to find it again.
Kinderchick:
--- Quote ---I grab my binocs from the car and spot a Peregrine youngster perched about 20 yards away swaying in that tall fir tree and calling out.
--- End quote ---
Could that really have been a peregrine youngster you saw near Stonewall, willmax? :-\ I thought that our youngsters were still hanging out in the downtown area. Do you think that maybe it could have been a kestral or a hmmm? The other species of Manitoba falcon has momentarily slipped my mind. What do you think, TPC? Would our downtown peregrine juvies be way over in Stonewall at this point in time? :-\
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