Daily Archives: January 15, 2011

Disposal Road 011411

Dk-pere-0114-3
Mike Girone reports:

Hung out on Disposal Rd. for most of the afternoon Frday.
I was greeted upon arrival around 1:40 p.m. by an adult Peregrine Falcon on a nearby electric tower behind the Carillon. It dove off the tower towards the Carillon, apparently trying to get lunch, but I didn't see what exactly it was targeting.
A few minutes later it dove off again, this time heading east over the Teal Pool, and attacked a Sharp-shinned Hawk, diving at it at least 3 times. It repeated the general diving-and-returning to a tower routine 2 more times, gradually moving south along the Saw Mill Creek trail.
 
Other raptor activity was a little slower then the past few days, but still plenty of Northern Harriers (including at least 1 Gray Ghost). 2 Red-tails were spotted, and the end-of-day finale was a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk (perhaps the same one attacked by the Peregrine earlier?) catching an adult White-crowned Sparrow near the yellow Transco Trail gate.
 
The Carillon area has certainly been living up to it's raptor-magnet reputation.

Thanks, Mike!