A few years ago, I got some better photos of him with his prey and this time it was a bit difficult. But still beautiful.
The Peregrine is reckoned to be the fastest attack diver in the world.
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed. It can reach over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating (avivore) raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.
Source
See the yellow arrow at the top right of the higher tree? That was where he was sitting and I was about 40 yards away.
He was sitting and searching around for prey.
Totally ignoring me, he took off behind the trees and way too fast for me to get him.
But I knew he would be back, and so I kept an eye out as my wife can spend a year inside a shop. I am a normal, abnormal male as I wile my time away with my camera in the parking lots of the shops while waiting for her. The security guards are used to me, and they know that I am a bit mad because I always take photos of the sky :)
As you can see from the little bit of red meat in the v of the branches, he got his prey and he was busy eating.
And finally, he looked straight at me to show me that he knew that I was there with my camera. I think I should send him an invoice, but I am scared that he will charge me for modelling for me. So, I rather leave it as is. He models for free, and I take his photos for free :)
The color changes in the light were screaming that a storm was on its way, and they were correct as buckets of rain started pouring down, to the sound of rolling thunder later in the day. We hope and pray for those that will be flooded again, as they live in difficult circumstances. The government is doing its best to find alternative land for the people, and to build houses for them. My personal feel is that they should never have been allowed to stay there in the first place, as they flood out every year. But that is a story for another day.
I hope that you have enjoyed the photos and the story.
Note: This post is also good for the #featheredfriends community, managed by Barbara-Orenya and her fabulous team.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
