Two Raptors

Tags

bald eagle, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, peregrine falcon, postaday

I arrived in the early morning at the refuge and saw a dramatic display of clouds over the marshes.

Early morning at the refuge, looking in the direction of Atlantic City.

In winter it is quite common to see juvenile raptors at the refuge. Last week I saw two kinds and got the following shots.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon.

Juvenile Bald Eagle eating a fish.

Juvenile Bald Eagle perched on an Osprey nest.

Peregrine Falcon, Snow Geese

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atlantic city, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, peregrine falcon, photography, postaday, snow geese

Now that the Ospreys have migrated South, their nests are being taken over by squatters, temporary ones anyway . One of them is a Peregrine Falcon that I saw perched on a nest.

Peregrine Falcon sitting on Osprey nest.

Peregrine Falcon checking out photographer.

This is the season for Snow Geese migration, and there were many thousands of them at the refuge.

Snow Geese at Edwin B Forsythe.

Snow Geese at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.

Snow Geese at Edwin B Forsythe NWR.

Snow Geese lifting off, with the skyline of Atlantic City in the background.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, peregrine falcon, photography, postaday

The Ospreys have migrated from the refuge to warmer places down South, leaving their nests empty. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon was preening and posing in one of the nests for about five minutes, enough time for the following shots.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon.

It was banded on both feet, however I could not make out what the letters or numbers were. Peregrine Falcons are no longer on the endangered species list, but people are still very keen on helping it make a come back after it became almost extinct between 1950 and 1970.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon preening.

“Yeah, did you see me do the scratch?”

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon getting ready to fly.

Unfortunately a flock of Sanderlings distracted me for a minute, and when I looked back at the nest the Peregrine Falcon was no longer there.

Peregrine Falcon, Snowy Egret, Cormorants

Tags

cormorant, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, peregrine falcon, photography, postaday, snowy egret

First a brown shape dove straight down from the sky, at a blazing speed. It was gone almost instantly. Then I saw a Snowy Egret floundering among a group of Cormorants swimming at the spot where the dive bombing occurred.

Snowy Egret floundering among Cormorants.

Snowy Egret trying to lift off.

Snowy Egret trying to fly.

Snowy Egret after falling back into water.

Then the Cormorants began fleeing the scene.

Cormorants.

Eventually the Snowy Egret managed to fly away and went hiding among the tall grasses of the marshes. Meanwhile, a Peregrine Falcon was perched on top of a nearby pole, watching. I wonder if it was the same one who had dive bombed and scared every bird away. Peregrine Falcons are super fast and capable of reaching 200 mph (320 km/h) on a dive. They are also known to attack mid-sized birds and ducks.

Peregrine Falcon.

Peregrine Falcon. Note band on right foot.

Peregrine Falcon

Tags

Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, peregrine falcon, photography, postaday

Early this morning at the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, a Peregrine Falcon was hunting. It glided back and forth across a pond, making both wide and sharp turns, and swooping down occasionally. However, I did not see it catch anything in the few minutes that it was in my sight. Here are two photos showing this raptor. It is reputed to be the fastest bird when it dives toward its prey at a speed which can reach 200 MPH (320 KM/H).

Peregrine Falcon soaring over Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

Peregrine Falcon soaring over Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.