Disposal Road Report

Pere1
Mike Girone writes:

Spent Saturday afternoon on Disposal Rd. with a few photographers. Somewhat slow, and unfortunately no Great-horned Owl sightings, but still had some interesting moments.

After a lone Northern Harrier was working the Kingsland Landfill, we counted up to 3 American Kestrels at once: one perched on one of the black pipes protruding from the landfill, with 2 others competing for perches along the treeline that borders the road & Transco Trail.

An adult male Peregrine Falcon and a Red-tailed Hawk were actually sharing one of the high-tension towers on Saw Mill Creek Trail near the Carillon (the falcon on top, the RT on a low cross-bar).

The rest of Mike's post and two more of his pix follow. (Thanks, Mike!)


Pere2
An adult female Peregrine circled low over the tower, then landed on the next set of towers down the trail. The Red-tail left for the roadside treeline not long afterward.

 After some time, the adult male Peregrine (who had bands on both legs; unable to read them) dove vertically off the tower and spooked some Mallards before perching on the tower next to where his mate was.

They remained there the rest of the afternoon, during which time a 3rd adult Peregrine passed overhead, elliciting some "chupping" from the pair below.

The pair dove off the towers right at sunset, heading low across the Saw Mill Creek impoundment and flushing some gulls. They were last seen heading southeast towards the turnpike. A Red-tail had returned to the towers near the Carillon in the meantime, but was chased off by an American Kestrel.

 Attached a few pics of the banded adult male Peregrine before he went to join his mate. Might have to squint to make out the bands in the one pic (in which he is relieving himself). I couldn't read them from that distance, but with the black-over-green band on the far leg, and the silver federal band on the near leg, he's from out-of-state, likely NY or PA.

Something to watch for in the future; always great to find out where they come from!

Pere3

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