Manitoba Peregrines > U of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
U of Alberta - 2009 / Damon & Radisson
Elaine L:
Yes, Tracy, thanks for all the information, and I am sure you are right; in hindsight, driving down the freeway at 80 and looking up at a bird is not the best way to tell if it is really a peregrine falcon. I think it could have been a merlin, or judging from the way it was coasting on the breeze, it could also have been a hawk. I am not at the stage yet where I can readily recognize the difference. I think I am just happy that we have raptors around this area, considering how much land has been given up to development in the last few years.
The Peregrine Chick:
Peregrines will hunt ground critters in places like the arctic where they can be more numerous than birds in some places. Among the anatum (our subspecies) there are rare reports of mammal prey remains being found (mostly bats). Note, that if you find remains, then they really haven't eaten it - killed it yes, eaten it no. As for a peregrine hunting mice, if it was, it wasn't really looking for food, entertainment or practice maybe - mice just aren't worth the effort, its like eating tic-tacs ... imagine how many tic-tacs an olympic triathlete would need to consume at the olympic games and you get the idea of how worthwhile hunting mice is for a peregrine.
Now kestrels, they are wicked mouse hunters, so too are some of the hawks. Last spring when we had standing water on most agricultural fields, the hawks - Red-tails, Swainsons, Sharp-shinned & Broad-winged - were stacked up on the telephone poles and on higher dry spots waiting for the mice to be driven out of the field by the rising water - it was worth the effort even of the bigger hawks because of the sheer numbers of mice available. But they hunt ground mammals as part of their regular diet, so just a case of taking advantage of an opportunity. Peregrines are bird-hunters and are designed for it, so hunting close to the ground is not always as safe for them as for the mammal-hunting raptors, different hunting mechanics.
So could have been a bored peregrine, but seems unlikely as they are trying to put on weight and are starting to get into migration-mode. Could have been a kestrel or even a merlin (they are better closer to the ground than peregrines) hunting - same flight profile are often misidentified when spotted from moving vehicles (I've given myself whiplash more than a few times over the years and still can't confirm the ID on the move!!!). Or it could have been a sharp-shinned, they are about peregrine size or even a coopers which is bigger than a sharpie.
But then, I wasn't there and didn't see what Eli saw ... could it have been hunting smaller birds Eli? I know fall migration has begun among the passerines here .... blackbirds? flickers? something like that maybe?
Pchemist:
I was under the impression it was pretty rare for a peregrine to hunt ground animals?
Elaine L:
Wow, Mr. Yellow travelled to Cooking Lake! This would be a good place to hunt, as it does not have a lot of development and is still pretty much the same as it was 20 years ago. The chicks seem to be moving about more than I expected. I did see a peregrine falcon yesterday hunting for mice, I believe, just over the Whitemud Freeway in east Edmonton, near the dog off-leash area, of all places. I would have loved to have found out whether or not this was one of our chicks, but there is no way to really take a good look or stop when you are on the freeway.
Thanks for the updates, Peter, and my best wishes to Bev and you during this trying time of family illness.
carly:
Thanks for the update Peter, happy to hear the family is doing well and that you got to see our Froona :-*
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