Hi Tweets,

Richard Mortimer writes:

>In response to Robert Cleland's account of a PEREGRINE attacking a HARRIER .
>
>Last year I saw a NORTHERN HARRIER attacked repeatedly by a PEREGRINE at
>Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. This attack was at low level, the Peregrine
>repeatedly flying up to 20 feet high and repeating its dive, each time being
>fended off by the Harrier flipping over and putting up its talons. This
>carried on for some time until another Harrier flew over and joined the fray,
>driving off the Peregrine. Both birds were female or immature Harriers.

A few years ago, Wendy Frith and I watched a bruisin' big Gyrfalcon Falco
rusticola trying to bust another harrier over Westham Island. Another
refutation of the theory that small and agile can evade big and powerful,
the result was that the Gyr eventually got tired of playing the game of
'Let-me-hit-you-so-hard-you'll-die-bouncing' and landed on the ground to
think god only knows what gyrfalcon thoughts while the harrier decided to
hunt in a field in the next time zone over.

And tucked away in a little footnote, this little gem:

>The Victoria R.B.A. for Wednesday, the 11th. Feb. reports 3 Tree Swallows at
>Somenos Creek (Duncan) on Feb.9 and 2 Tree Swallows at Somenos Marsh on Feb.
>10. One Barn Swallow at Swan Lake, Victoria on Feb.8.

Well, now we know. That's about right for Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
in a winter as warm as this one, while the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica was
likely wintering regionally. It'll be interesting to see what disparity of
arrival there'll be between Duncan and the early sites at Serpentine Fen,
Reifel and Iona Island in Vancouver BC.

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)