Zachariah & fellow tweetsters,

On Tuesday October 29, you (Z) wrote:

>Is this corkscrew hunting method of the Peregrine the
>common observation? (Naturally, we had both expected
>the warp-speed stoop.)

May I recommend a recent article in IBIS (Volume 138, Number 4, October 1996)
by Will Cresswell titled "Surprise as a winter hunting strategy by
Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus and Merlins
F. columbarius. (pp. 684 - 692).

Will observed aforementioned raptors hunting on a small Scottish estuary for
2557 hours over three winters (89/90, 90/91 and 91/92). While the article
deals with the element of surprise in the raptors' attacks and comparison
between them, he gives some interesting data relating to your question.

Out of 518 Peregrine attacks, 36.1% were by surprise (approaching prey using
cover or by flying within 1.5 meters of the ground); 25.1% open attacks
(raptor clearly visible to prey prior to attack); 36.3% stoop attacks (steep
or vertical dive onto prey) and 2.5% were ringing attacks (prey flying
straight upward followed by raptor). But please see the article for many more
fascinating findings.

Hope this helps,

Sincerely,
Martin Muller, Seattle
martinmuller at msn.com