A pair of Peregrine Falcons caught in the act

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cr_wildlife

cr_wildlife

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I am fortunate to have a number of Peregrine Falcon nests that are within a couple of hours drive of my house. All of the nests are in cliff faces along the ocean, so I am not able to get shots of the birds on any perches other than cliff edges. A pair have been nesting at the site shown here for a more than 10 years. Although conventional wisdom says that Peregrine Falcons mate for life, I think that this is not true in the same way it is true for birds like swans, cranes, and macaws. These latter birds not only mate together but also spend the rest of the year together. Peregrines, on the other hand, raise their chicks, but after the offspring are independent, the parents fly off and go their separate ways, only reuniting again at the nest site at the start of the next breeding season. Thus, I think the falcons are "site loyal" but do not "mate for life".
This image shows the pair copulating. The female flies up to a ridge on the cliff, calling loudly as she does so. She perches with her back horizontal and continues to call. The male flies in, carefully raises his talons.
Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S, Z TC-2.0x, 1/1000 second @ f/13, ISO 2000
Z91_8273-Edit.jpg
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so as to not injure the female, and perches on her back. As they copulate, the female continues to call. After copulation, the male flies off.
 
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cr_wildlife said:
I am fortunate to have a number of Peregrine Falcon nests that are within a couple of hours drive of my house. All of the nests are in cliff faces along the ocean, so I am not able to get shots of the birds on any perches other than cliff edges. A pair have been nesting at the site shown here for a more than 10 years. Although conventional wisdom says that Peregrine Falcons mate for life, I think that this is not true in the same way it is true for birds like swans, cranes, and macaws. These latter birds not only mate together but also spend the rest of the year together. Peregrines, on the other hand, raise their chicks, but after the offspring are independent, the parents fly off and go their separate ways, only reuniting again at the nest site at the start of the next breeding season. Thus, I think the falcons are "site loyal" but do not "mate for life".
This image shows the pair copulating. The female flies up to a ridge on the cliff, calling loudly as she does so. She perches with her back horizontal and continues to call. The male flies in, carefully raises his talons.
Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S, Z TC-2.0x, 1/1000 second @ f/13, ISO 2000
View attachment 85225 so as to not injure the female, and perches on her back. As they copulate, the female continues to call. After copulation, the male flies off.
Click to expand...
Awesome shot! Well done 👍👍👍
 
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