Michael Price speculates/writes:

>a) that Sabine's Gull are when migrating overland
>sometimes to often nocturnal migrants (apparently
>they're fairly closely related to Swallow-tailed Gulls
>Larus furcatus, which *are* nocturnal);
>b) both cuckoos are--no speculation here, we know-
>-also nocturnal migrants as well as being fairly lousy
>fliers and
>c) that when it suits them, Peregrines are (partially)
>nocturnal hunters on those passing nocturnal migrants
>that would normally overfly otherwise.

After February I hope to get back to a project I started two years ago:
analysis of two nesting seasons worth of time-lapse video (day and night) of
the downtown Seattle peregrines. The "translation" from video to database is
complete, it's a matter of crunching the numbers, doing literature research,
and writing it up. Among some of the interesting tidbits we will be able to
calculate from this: amount of incubation (probably to the minute) each egg
received during the '96 season, when the eggs had markings which allowed
individual recognition. Little things like that.

Anyway, I can tell you that Stewart "loved" going out at night (as between
midnight and two AM) and deliver prey, during migration time. From the looks
of it, fresh prey (limp, intact, unplucked). Often high-contrast species, like
for instance American Goldfinch, but also less-colorful, just more
inexperienced immature European Starlings.

During the early morning hours Stewart liked (still does I presume) to perch
on the very top of the Washington Mutual Tower, 60+ stories up. He would sit
on the east side of the cube on top, and peer around the corner to the west
side (get that image? He literally sits there, body hidden, head sticking
around the corner). From there he has an unobstructed view of Elliott Bay.
Often he starts his stoop on some potential meal from up there, to the west. I
always envisioned him doing the same thing at night, when the crossing from
West Seattle to Magnolia, 2 1/2 miles of open water, must make some of these
smaller, slower, birds as vulnerable as, dare I say, sitting ducks. Or he
might just patrol the bay from great height.
Sometime, when I experience a sleepless night (no jokes please) during the
nesting season, I'll spend it out there to verify his actual hunting during
the night.

BTW, I never saw so many Yellow-headed Blackbirds in Western Washington as
during the video-tape analysis; prey deliveries to the peregrine nest box.

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at msn.com