Tweeters,
I usually can't afford more than one scan of the river scene during my workday, but the thought that the OSPREYS could fledge at any time kept nagging at me until I had to quit my lunch and yield to temptation. I took a quick scan of the now-much-lowered river, spotting 34 CANADA GEESE in two rafts, and a raft of 17 MALLARDS all heading downstream. One juv Osprey was on a crossbar that supports the nest, but I couldn't spot the other juv or the adults. Suddenly, right overhead drifted two adult Ospreys and one juvenile; I was in luck!

Or so I thought until I looked back at the tower across the river and saw an adult Osprey on top. And then scoped the nest again and saw the wings of the second juvenile appear above the edge. The birds I saw flying weren't the Hamm Creek family. (I also saw at least three other Ospreys in the area: it appears to have been a good year for the Pandion bunch along the Duwamish.)

As I was contemplating fortune, the PEREGRINE FALCON soared into view, landing on the east-bank power tower. I locked scope onto it and gave several lunchtime walkers a great view of a gorgeous bird. Suddenly, as I chatted with one passerby, the falcon dropped from his tower position and dove, or rather cruised swiftly, to the north of the tower, intercepting a rather large flock (>300) of EUROPEAN STARLINGS. The Starlings broke into separate flocks, with the largest flock being about 150 birds. The smaller flocks shot past us, but the big flock swirled about the falcon as it headed slightly upstream. That's when we realized that the falcon was carrying prey! (It probably caught a Starling on the first pass.) Three times the falcon changed direction, and three times the flock followed the falcon, engulfing it in the feathered molecule of Starlings. Each time the flock did so, it tightened formation about the falcon. As the falcon turned back north, then east toward the tower, the Starlings followed, with the falcon seeming to labor in flight. Twice the falcon approached the tower and veered off as the Starling flock came near. Then, as the flock moved slightly south, the falcon flew upward and landed on the north side of the catwalk under the electrical lines. The Starlings made one more pass, then headed downstream, with the wind. The falcon, alone with its prey, started preparing its noontime meal.

And with that, I headed back to my dessert of red grapes.

May all your birds be identified,

Denis DeSilvis
Seattle, WA
denis.j.desilvis at boeing.com