Friday, August 31, 2007 - Fields of glory
Too pompous a heading for a mere blog -entry, you think? Impossible!
Last Saturday I went-a-birding with Antto and Janne. They are brown-cheeked indians by the way, native to this part of the world. We headed to Siuntio and the fields there. Plan was to watch raptors and anything else that might be there to be seen. The first spot where we were for a few hours was by a well known spruce (a kind of tree). It was very nice, plenty of hawks around, for example the first Hen Harriers of this autumn for us. Also Red-Throated Pipit was another first of the autumn for me. I have raptors of nine species from this spot alone in my log-book, altogether 46 individuals. Yet something seemed to be missing, every time a Hen Harrier was in sight, we looked at it pretty carefully. Same thing with Hobbies and Kestrels. Not that we dared to expect anything rare, but a birdwatcher always lives in hope. You see, a Pallid Harrier or a Red-Footed Falcon might well be possible here and now. But no.
The most peculiar sighting on this spot was when a female Merlin chased a Cuckoo. We first saw the couple above the fields, in full speed. The disappeared into the foliage of a birch growing by a nearby ditch. They flew so fast I couldn't keep up with them at first, it took a moment to identify the falcon as a Merlin and then another moment with the Cuckoo (my first impression of it was a Sparrofhawk). The chase lasted for a good few minutes, the Merlin being incredibly persistent. There was two birches pretty much in the middle of the field, and the Cuckoo seeked refuge in them. The couple flew between the trees, around them, inside the foliage making amazingly fast turns. They didn't stop for a moment. Both gave a great flight -show, the chase being quite even, the falcon didn't get closer and the Cuckoo didn't get away. The other motivated by hunger and the other by fear of death. After a while the couple simply disappeared, into the ditch I guess. Then they were seen flying farther above the fields, Cuckoo heading for cover in the forest. It survived, I think. It was quite confusing to see a Merlin chase a bird almost its own size for so long. It would be able to kill a Cuckoo by surprise-attack, but with a chase like this, I think not, unless the Cuckoo is a somehow weak individual.
After all this excitement, we changed place. In Myrans hundreds of Starlings, Woodpigeons, Stock Doves, Jackdaws and Crows were in the air. And soon enough the reason - another falcon - was spotted. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon sitting on a powerline column, casually taking to its wings for a few short moments. A flight with a promise of thunderous rage of the gods crashing upon an innocent bird with instant bone-crushing power. This time it just flapped about over the fields.
Not the catcher in the rye, but the dragonfly-geek in the hay
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