Winterfest 2015 (Hawks and Falcons)

[falcontertomt]

This is one of those perks of being a falconer...
Winterfest 2015 - an album on Flickr

Saker Falcon

Barn Owl


American Kestrel

Mink


The One That Got Away


Also for anyone that can make is The Utah Sky Trials is next weekend. A great time to get some cool shots of falcons in action.
http://www.utahskytrials.com/

 

[AKUK]

Ever since I was a young boy, I've always had an affinity for birds of prey. I love the look of them and marvel at their prowess as hunters. A few years back we had a blocked sewer pipe. Some moron further up the street had been flushing baby wipes down the toilet, which had caused a blockage. I had the sewer cover off in the backyard and was squirting water down there to build up the pressure in an attempt to dislodge the debris, whilst someone went to buy some drain rods.

We had a huge Leylandii tree in the backyard, where all the birds would congregate. This day, I heard an almighty screaming coming from the tree and as I looked up a small bird shot past my left shoulder and slammed into the fence underneath a shelter behind me. At the same time I saw a pair of taloned feet and outstretched wings literally inches from my head. It too flew straight past me and slammed into the fence. I spun around to see a Red Tailed Kite walking about, somewhat dazed and nursing its wing. The small bird, which later turned out to be a Starling, had fallen behind a lot of sacks and plant pots and was still screaming in fear. In my amazement, I almost stepped into the sewer opening and actually fell over the gap. Had I of gone in, I would literally been up to my waist in effluent. The Kite flew off a few moments later. I was glad to see it hadn't injured its wing. The Starling emerged a few minutes later when I went digging for it amid all the clutter. Certainly an eventful day and a real treat to see such a stunning creature up close and actually in the process of hunting - albeit unsuccessfully.