Wednesday, September 23, 2020

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With this photo, it’s fun to imagine if this Merlin was three times its size – what an impressive falcon it would be. But the bold mini-Merlins are especially fun to encounter, especially while “cruisin’ for falcons.”
I was looking for a different angle on photographing a Great Egret, so when a trusting white beauty permitted me to take a few close portraits I focused on the eye and bright colors of the face against the water.
Sunday afternoon provided a sky that was mostly clear of haze with ample sunshine to photograph this beautifully marked young Swainson’s Hawk that held its wings out from its sides to refresh itself in the warm afternoon wind.

Cruising for falcons is tough to beat, especially when you’re successful. Although there were impressive numbers of Red-tailed Hawks and scattered Swainson’s Hawks across the first hundred miles of broad prairie, the falcon action fired up after I turned north along the east side of the Missouri River, when American Kestrels began to come into view. The river is a natural migration route for many birds as it bisects the Dakotas, and I was hoping to see more falcons on my way to Bismarck.

Halfway to the capitol city, a speck in the sky headed my way appeared to be a Cooper’s Hawk at first, before I saw the pointed wings and verified it was indeed a Peregrine Falcon. It passed by a few hundred yards to the east of my position, so as it passed I thought, “Well, this is what I’ve been searching for, so try to get a closer look, possibly even a photo.” I gave chase, with the falcon now a mere speck again, but I had an opportunity to turn east on a side road with the hope of intercepting the falcon’s flight.

I saw the speck one more time as I drove east, but lost the falcon to distance. Even so, the falcon pursuit took me into a beautiful Badlands landscape with golden-leaved trees among varied hues of green, a new landscape that had evaded my explorations of the region until that moment. Suddenly a falcon appeared, gliding along an adjacent Badlands ridge, making me flash on Prairie Falcon, but when I raised my binoculars as it angled away I could see it was a female American Kestrel – falcon nonetheless.

After passing a big flock of Wild Turkeys, at a turning point in the road, instead of continuing to follow the river northwest to Bismarck, I opted for a due north route to check the action at McKenzie again. Halfway to McKenzie I passed another falcon – a Merlin perched with its back to me this time. I calmed my wits, double-checked my camera settings, and carefully approached the Merlin – thrilled with the opportunity, and the willingness of the impressive little falcon to permit me some moments to photograph it as it turned this way and that, watching for prey no doubt.

It eventually repositioned a hundred yards to the north, and so did I in response. This time I photographed the Merlin with a golden grain field in the background. I always marvel at what cute, trusting birds some Merlins can be when you spend a little time in their company, but they are really serious predators too, with a directness in their flights and hunting pursuits that are hard to believe at times.

Moments after reaching the dry western edge of McKenzie Slough, after I passed the remaining water channel, another Merlin zipped into view before me, flying east and pressing me to keep up with its flight as it passed low over the expanse of cattails. It quickly focused on 4 Red-winged Blackbirds, zeroing in on one that broke away from the rest in a quick chase before losing interest after testing the blackbird’s fitness. But the Merlin’s flight never wavered as its attention refocused on a perched raptor that I never would have seen without the Merlin’s attention to it – a Peregrine Falcon!

For a moment the two falcons perched on nearby fence posts on the edge of the cattail sprawl, before the Merlin pressed the issue by flying at the Peregrine, which hopped into flight, pursued by the Merlin. The Peregrine swung around to perch again, but the Merlin pressed it to stay aflight, but the Merlin’s pursuit quickly switched with the Peregrine taking over the chase – no more foolin’ around. The pursuit didn’t last long after that, and the falcons parted a long distance to the north of my position.

I continued to the south side of the big marsh where shorebirds and ducks had assembled by the hundreds the week before. The hundreds of small sandpipers were no longer present in the shallows, but American Avocet numbers increased from 110 to 260, many loafing in a big flock with about half feeding in the shallows. A few hundred feet farther northeast, hundreds of ducks continued to filter feed in the shallows, mostly Northern Shovelers, Mallards, Gadwalls, and Blue-winged Teal. Standing stately along the northern edge of the other birds were 13 Great Blue Herons, and a flock of about 20 White-faced Ibis relocated to the east side of the road.

It was another one of those special days that underlines why I have faith that if I pursue the potential of finding exciting birds, there’s a good chance it may transpire. Entitling a drive to the state capitol “cruising for falcons” could be presumptuous, but sometimes “creative visualization” is a worthy endeavor (ha-ha). Nonetheless, it was a good call in retrospect. So what’s next, “cruisin’ for Whooping Cranes?” Ya, that’s it!

Local Cruisin’

It’s not necessary to drive a long distance to enjoy great birding in my area. Within one mile to the south and 2 miles to the north, birdlife is pretty impressive. Large flocks of Mallards and Blue-winged Teal have become concentrated, along with Giant Canada Geese. There are also plenty of Northern Pintails, Redheads, Gadwalls, Ruddy Ducks, and Northern Shovelers in the duck department, and wading birds are scattered around with a couple flocks of White-faced Ibis, regular Great Egrets, and a couple surprise Snowy Egrets on Sunday afternoon; Black-crowned Night Herons and Great Blue Herons too. There are many Pied-billed and Western Grebes, and scattered small flocks of American Avocets and a few Greater Yellowlegs, occasional huge flocks of swallows – mostly Tree Swallows – many Laughing Gulls, some small flocks of Ring-bills, and widely scattered Red-tailed Hawks and Swainson’s too.

Sunday afternoon the haze let up after a couple windy days, so I was excited to try another falcon cruise. This time I took a favorite raptor route that leads me 20 miles west, 15 miles north, 12 miles east, 15 miles south, and 8 miles back east. It was an excellent route for hawks, and I did see 2 small falcons in the same area 20 miles west – a Merlin on the wing, and a female American Kestrel hunting from a perch. Beyond the mini-falcons, the cruise was filled with many hawks – Red-tails and Swainson’s, including a couple rufous-morph adult Swainson’s and a beautifully marked young Swainson’s that acted like it was a recent fledgling – well-fed but very vocal, calling loudly often. Nonetheless, it permitted a close approach for photos and an extended observation.

Out My Windows

My big bay windows provide a window to birdlife as I work, breaking my train of thought too often probably, but providing a level of excitement periodically, like when the little Yellow-rumped Warbler, the first of this fall, foraged among the lower branches of the ash tree next to my feeding station. It was followed by another the next day, and 3 more at once the following day. They are so cute and dainty; they must be young first fall warblers.

I’m glad to report a couple Ruby-throated Hummingbirds continue to be active at and around my nectar feeder. The new male Downy Woodpecker has become a daily visitor to my suet feeder, along with Hairy Woodpeckers, a female and 2 adult males. No Blue Jays during the past week though, but more will come and eventually some will weather the winter here. The Gray Catbirds have apparently moved on, but there are still Cedar Waxwings and American Robins in the area, and I’m betting new birds will appear the first week of fall – with the official first day of fall yesterday, the 22nd. I certainly hope the coming week and the full fall season is a great one for you all as we appreciate the birds around us.

Article and photos by Paul Konrad

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