There was considerable action in this National Falcon League matchup at Laurel Hill on Friday, pitting an under-sized American Kestrel against a pair of Common Ravens.
We saw the Kestrel first, flying about 30 feet off the ground near the river — playing a zone defense, no doubt.
Moments later, the Ravens appeared high above the cliffs of Laurel Hill. They were clearly the home team and on the offense as they brought a stick to their long-time nesting site.
Seemingly from out of nowhere, a Kestrel blitzed the Ravens — repeatedly.
Although our view was basically the distant bleachers and the sky was mostly overcast, we did take a few photos to document the contest.
One Raven landed near the nest; the one carrying the stick dropped it while under attack and retreated to the cliffs as well.
The American Kestrel eventually flew to the sidelines to catch its breath and get its moment on the spotlight before flying away.
The Ravens went into some apparent courtship flight soon after, which included one flying upside down, and they even did a flyover of the local Old Glory before they left.
Final Score: Falcon, 2; Ravens, 0. (But Ravens did receive quite a few style points.)
(Entire sequence follows, if you have the patience.) :- )
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Mike Newhouse and his awesome band of bird-banders had their “bird of the year” this morning — a Prothonotary Warbler. We were on hand to take photos. These birds are even more beautiful up-close, if that is possible.
