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A Falcon For Lunch; no, Heather, it's not a recipe!
Topic Started: Mar 27 2005, 08:43 AM (99 Views)
Lon Frank
Member
I’ve spent much of the last month in serious bird watching. Two weeks ago, Kit and I went out to San Antonio, up on the Edward's Plateau a little, then down into the Rio Grande valley. I had read “On The Wing” by Alan Tennant this winter, and was determined to spot some falcons. But it was hawk-time, big time. Harris’s, Coopers, Swainsons, Northern Harriers, and my favorite, the showy Crested Caracara, which we used to call Mexican Eagles when I was a kid. They were everywhere; lining the fencerows, one on every fourth or fifth telephone pole. In one stretch of back road, bound by fields of thousands of round cabbages on the east, and by thousands of square miles of mesquite brush on the west, we counted 12 hawks in three miles. And that was just along the roadside as we drove by!

The weather patterns have been changing for the last few years in south Texas, and this dry area of scrub has been getting winter rains with unaccustomed regularity. I had noticed the new flowers and greener shrubs on my annual trips here for the last three years, and apparently the rodent population is exploding, because the hawks were all grinnning like sheepdogs. I even stopped to photograph a mountain laurel, blooming almost a hundred miles south of San Antonio, which I have never encountered before.

The early spring migration of songbirds has also been exceptional. There were two, which are more southern species, spotted in the Valley and are each a first-time listing for Texas. But still, no falcons for my list. I knew they were there, moving daily off their wintering grounds on the Laguna Madre, hunting ashore and moving along the beaches, feasting on the white breast meat of plovers, stilts and the occasional plump dove. They would be restless by now, moving farther by day, returning to the marsh flats later, flirting with the great open blue highway to their Arctic nesting places.

By the time the week was over, I had reverted to a more simple identification process. Like when I was a kid, and every bird fell into four classes - hawks, doves, grassbirds, and buzzards - now every bird I saw, bigger than a sparrow was a falcon until proven otherwise! Every flutter of wing alongside, every shadow crossing the road, every silhouette against the overcast was worth scrutinizing. I found that I could stop my truck from highway speed, roll down the window, steer it onto the shoulder with my knees and grab my binoculars in just over 4 seconds. I believe it was all a game to the Coopers hawks; they apparently stationed themselves roadside, in repeated attempts to get me to break my breaking record. But still, no falcons.

Returning to the bayou, I picked on easier prey for a while. Like alligators. Although they are not normally feathered, rarely perch on telephone poles, and are not known for their melodious song, they are at least readily identifiable. While photographing a big momma gator with about 15 babies, I accidentally spotted a Hooded Warbler hiding in the cattails, here on the westernmost limit of their territory. Then two old black fishermen enjoying the mild afternoon at the Anahuac wildlife area, casually asked me name of “those birds right over there?”. It took me a minute to spot them, even though I was only 20 feet away and festooned with binoculars, camera and bird book. I was looking for little birds, the warblers, wrens and parulas which were due to migrate through here, but these guys were BIG. Turned out to be Yellow Crowned NIght Herons, another new species for my list.

I also watched a Loggerhead Shrike, and had a whole herd of Cedar Waxwings roost in our mulberry tree one evening, so I felt like it had been a good week and launched myself into neglected chores around the house.

Friday morning I spent digging postholes for a new fence, and had stopped long enough to eat lunch out on the kitchen deck. I still have the little canvas cover up over the table, as the big trees that provide summer shade are just now leafing out. I had just put the last grape in my mouth, when a fighter jet crashed into the yard. At least that’s what I first thought. A falcon had dove over the edge of the house clearing the canvas awning by inches, dropping down between the deck and the tree, which was a space of about 6 feet, and scattered the group of redwings and grackles that were chowing down on spilled seeds under a big hanging feeder. I wasn’t paying attention to the birds, and the loud WHOOSH of his wings almost scared me out of my seat. But I handled it better than the feeder birds, who looked like an exploding blackbird bomb, as 12 birds scattered in 13 directions. The falcon came away empty handed, however, and turned sharply to soar away over the bayou. By the time I had dashed in for my binoculars, he was disappearing behind newly greened out trees.

But I knew I still didn’t have my Peregrine. Although this guy was easily the size of a male or even a young female, he was a little too brown instead of slate gray. Also, Peregrines catch their prey on the wing, and continue on in somewhat a straight direction after diving. My falcon was hunting ground birds, and turned 90 degrees after missing, so I knew he was a large Merlin. But I didn’t care, he was a falcon, and a Merlin is certainly somebody to be reckoned with. I hope he drops in for lunch again real soon!
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winging_away
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Wonderful piece! And you found a hawk right in your own backyard! Oh those backroads...either dirt or paved...aren't they a treasure trove of wildlife?

Did you buy your boat? I didn't realize alligator mating season and babies hatching is this early!

Thanks for a wonderful story!! :)

Richard and Joanne (winging away is Richard)
Posted Image

"To break the surly bonds of earth........"
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Lon Frank
Member
Since I live on a bayou, just a couple of miles from the Gulf, the hawks are really prevalent here in the winter. Also, eagles, ospreys, and owls often hunt along the banklines and more open water areas. The Merlins have begun to roost on the offshore oil rigs, and Peregrines move through the upper coast on occasion in the spring. I have heard of a hunting pair on the Bolivar Flats, which are over by Galveston.

A late season norther blew in last night, so it's going to be a bad day for the migrating songbirds. They fly across the Gulf from the Yucatan, which is a spectacular feat for a bird weighing just a few ounces. But when a north wind catches them half-way, they simply run out of energy and drop into the waves below. Beachcombers after this front will find hundreds of colorful little bodies washed up in the next few days. The survivors that reach the coast, litterally "fall out" of the sky into the first trees they spot. A few places, famous for their fall outs, are nearby to me, and I'll probably go to Sabine Woods tomorrow.


The gators are already out in force down here. The one with the babies, I spotted just last week over at the Creole Nature Trail in Louisiana, but actually, they looked to be about 6 months old, as they were over a foot long.

Oh, yeah, I did buy the little pontoon boat. Hit a snag with it the first time out, and damaged the lower unit, I think! But it looks nice, tied up to the side dock by the kitchen. Kit is very excited about it, as it is stable enough that he feels comfortable on it. We have launched an all-out attack on bayou liltter!
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Heathertee
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Heather-Central Connecticut
Quote:
 
no, Heather, it's not a recipe!


Hey! Why are you picking on ME? Danny is the one who'll eat anything; his very words. "Anything that flies, crawls, or swims". :slap:

Wonderful story, Lon; I am forwarding it to my sister in Nova Scotia. She'll love it!
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roz
Roz - Texas

Yes, nice story. I always enjoy your post Lon.
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Trailblazer
Member
I'm glad you explained that about finding the birds on the beach. If I was walking on the beach at Grand Isle and saw hundreds of birds, I'd think it was something worse.

I couldn't believe how much wildlife there is on little Grand Isle.

We miss Louisiana. Next time we come back down there, let's go for a boatride and bird and alligator watch, OK? :) And fish!!
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Lon Frank
Member
I'll bring the binocualars, Blazer, you fetch the Bloody Marys!

;)

The wind backed around to the south last eveniing, so maybe the fallout won't be so bad as it could have been. This morning brings just a breeze and clear skies. I'll still go down to Sabine Woods if I can today, and will post an update tonight if I do.

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mychrissy
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Chrissy
Lon,
Thank you for the wonderful story, it's taken me this long to go back and read it.
I love hearing about all the birds, especially the hawks. When my husband and I moved to northern Florida we became interested in bird watching. We sit outside on our front porch and are like two kids. we get so excited seeing all the different birds that go in the bird feeder.
We have spotted several hawks, but they don't stay around long enough for me to get a good eye on. I posted about a turkey vulture that was sitting on our roof for a short time. Ofcourse I still get really excited about seeing the pileated woodpeckers.
Again, thanks for a great story.
Chrissy

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Heathertee
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Heather-Central Connecticut
Speaking of birds; from the National Geographic site:

WebCam Platte River, Sandhill Cranes

Be sure to have your sound on. End of the month and beginning of April, expect 500,000 cranes here, on the way to northern breeding grounds.
I know of no sound in nature so wild, unless it is the cry of the loon.
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