Falcons hunting Starlings 2019-2020
The season started gloomy with lots of fog and rain. Finally the sun came out and I had some spectacular days. 30 days in the field, thousands of miles driven to get these shots.
The first images show the starling cloud formations I see when a falcon is attacking or the threat is out there. I never see the flocks rise into the sky otherwise, it just doesn't happen. Sometimes I may see cloud formations when the birds are coming into a roost site or descending from a high elevation return flight from a feeding area.
The vast majority of the attackers are peregrine falcons followed by red tail hawks and coopers hawks. Contrary to what I have read, merlins rarely attack the flocks and are more often followed and or chased out of the area by the starlings.
Read MoreThe first images show the starling cloud formations I see when a falcon is attacking or the threat is out there. I never see the flocks rise into the sky otherwise, it just doesn't happen. Sometimes I may see cloud formations when the birds are coming into a roost site or descending from a high elevation return flight from a feeding area.
The vast majority of the attackers are peregrine falcons followed by red tail hawks and coopers hawks. Contrary to what I have read, merlins rarely attack the flocks and are more often followed and or chased out of the area by the starlings.
