Today I was guiding some birders at the Hayton Preserve. We were watching
the Dunlin/Peregrine show about 1300 when I looked back to the trees where
the Gyrfalcon has been reported. In the farthest group of trees a large
falcon was sitting toward the top. It was a very light colored, very
striped bird with a visible wide white supercilium and it looked like white
crown. I really wanted it to be the Gyr and thought the wingtips were not
reaching the tail tip but twigs and movement made it hard to be absolutely
sure. It was fairly agitated, I think because of some hunting action
ongoing in the adjacent field. After thinking about it some more and
consulting Sibley's more, I'm pretty sure it was probably a juvenile Tundra
Peregrine as in Sibley's. It definitely looked more white than gray, though
it was facing us which meant it was facing into what dim sunlight that there
was. I also have looked at Marv Breece's photo of the Gyr on flicker and
the supercilium on today's bird was definitely more white and broader and it
did appear to have a white crown. I don't think now that the bird I saw
today was the same as the Gyr seen earlier. I talked with another birder
present who I apologize to because I immediately forgot the name (Stan?).
If you're reading this maybe you might also comment? He also made the same
transition from thinking Gyr to Tundra Peregrine.



Maybe I should click falcon sp.?



Anyone else seeing a similar large falcon or have any comments?



Good birding,

Ed



Ed Swan

Nature writer and guide

www.theswancompany.com <http://www.theswancompany.com>

edswan2 at comcast.net <mailto:edswan2 at comcast.net>

206.949.3545



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