Subject: Re: Samish Falcons
Date: Jan 24 08:44:43 1997
From: "S. Downes" - sdownes at u.washington.edu


I'm beginning to wonder if this bird requires a car with a sunroof to be
seen (bird with class), the bird we had is most likely this bird as well
as the brown-phased gryfalcon mentioned earlier. This bird had a silver
leg band on its left leg and if you look at the bird by its color only you
could call it a "brown" phase. It is infact as Jerry correctly stated a
Imm. gray phase gryfalcon. I'm sure Jerry will agre with me as will JIm
Flynn who was with us on Sunday that this bird gives unbelievable looks
(how many gryfalcons allows the viewer to pull up underneath the bird and
look at with a sunroof! My thanks to the gryfalcon (hey, birds are
intelligent who knows maybe it reads tweeters).

Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA


On 24 Jan 1997, Jerry Blinn wrote:

> I arranged to run out of Song manuals, so I ~had~ to go to my printer
> in Bellevue, which put me in striking distance of the Samish and
> the Gyrfalcon that Scott Downes reported. Heh, heh, business trip.<G>
>
> At the West 90:
>
> Let's get rid of the junk birds first; four Snowy Owls, the House
> Sparrows of the Samish. Short-eared Owl, second year Bald Eagle, two
> Rough-legged Hawks, two Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawk. That's in
> 20 minutes. (I still think the Short-eared is the nicest owl made.)
>
> East of the West 90, on Bayview-Edison Rd. where it goes 90o north of
> Samish Island Rd. (The East 90?), and then 90's east to Edison, I saw a
> large bird on a pole as I was headed south. Because of the size,
> I thought it would be a Red-tail, but as I moved over to the shoulder
> and snuck up on it, it was clearly a ~big~ falcon. I moved almost under
> the pole and viewed the bird through my sun-roof.
>
> My notes: upper parts grayish-brown (in late afternoon reddish sun).
> Light, dim superciliary. Cere and legs gray. Breast and belly have very
> dark, heavy longitudinal streaks against white or light gray. Upper parts
> have a pronounced scalloped look (light feather edges). Somewhat
> indistinct mustache. The appearance of a light patch behind the eye,
> the appearance of a lightish forehead, and the appearance of two
> light patches on the back of the head -- somewhat vertical patches
> side-by-side. Streaks on breast rise to a small, but very distinct,
> white throat. White undertail. Wings short re: tail. Yup. Gyrfalcon!
>
> As I moved the car a little closer, the Gyrfalcon flew off. I got out of
> the car to observe the bird land on the second pole north of me. Over
> my head, a heavily hooded Peregrine Falcon, with strong horizontal
> barring on the underparts, made a base leg and final approach to the
> Gyrfalcon, and proceeded to make two very noisy, and ineffective, passes
> at it. The Peregrine then retired to a pole on the east-west driveway
> that extends west from the east-west portion of Bayview-Edison at the
> turn. I walked slowly towards the Gyrfalcon, making more notes. When
> I reached the critical point, he flew off toward the Peregrine, who
> immediately came off his perch, screaming like a banshee. The two met
> in mid-air and engaged in two bouts of aerial combat, talon-to-talon.
> The Gyrfalcon remained silent, but the Peregrine made up for it.
> During the battle, it was apparent the Gyrfalcon was the bigger bird,
> and the result was the Peregrine retreating, with the Gyrfalcon returning
> to the pole that I assume is in the Peregrine's territory.
>
> Study after I got home: Wheeler-Clark (Peterson's), Wheeler-Clark
> Photographic Guide, Kaufman Advanced Birding. My conclusion is that the
> Gyrfalcon was a juvenile gray morph. Would the Peregrine be expected to
> be a "pealei" by range? It sure had the underparts of an "anatum,"
> horizontal barring and light upper breast and throat apparent.
>
> Scott, was the Gyrfalcon your bird?
>
> Didn't look at the ducks. <G>
>
> Jerry Blinn
> Silverdale
>
>
> E-mail from: Jerry Blinn, 23-Jan-1997
>
>