Peregrines

This weekend, I headed to the beach at Point Reyes in search of peregrine falcons. I’ve learned that June is a great time for watching them because the young ones still rely on their parents for food, but they’ve taken to the air with remarkable abilities. That means two things for the photographer: a signal to look up when they call back and forth and the chance of a mid-air prey transfer.

I spent the first hour or so scanning the cliffs with binoculars, hoping to find one. Eventually, I spotted an adult sitting on a high rock, way out of range for a decent photo. It watched the seagulls along the shore, but none tempted it from its ledge. As I started to give up on any action, a falcon came screaming along the cliffs, calling a young bird out from somewhere. In a flash, the food (a smaller bird) was transferred, and the fledgling had a meal.

The young falcon took its dinner to a ledge only twelve feet above the beach. Running on sand is never easy, but try it while carrying a camera bag, telephoto lens, water, and binoculars! I had no idea how long the bird would stay there, so I started hand-held. As soon as I felt like I had something, I set my camera on a tripod, experimented with it, and got some images I was pleased with. The falcon completely devoured the other bird, tearing out chunks of flesh and picking feathers from its beak with its talons. Seeing the foot of the other bird hanging from the falcon’s mouth was particularly gruesome, but all part of the circle of life.

One of my goals this year was to photograph more behavior. This was an excellent opportunity to do just that.