Mike Girone writes:

Spent late Sunday (8-25) afternoon at DeKorte. Started out on Saw Mill Creek trail by the Carillon and spotted a banded immature Peregrine. It had the black and green auxiliary band, along with a silver federal band.

After some stretching atop one of the towers, it took flight, soaring over the west end of the Teal Pool. It gained height fairly quickly, getting mobbed by swallows the whole time.

A brief walk out to Disposal Rd. yielded 2 American Kestrels hunting the old landfill, alternately hover-hunting, and diving at a young Red-tailed Hawk. Up to 3 Northern Harriers were hunting the area as well.

Returning to Saw Mill Creek trail, first 1, then 2 banded immature Peregrines appeared! They took turns forcing each other on and off the sets of towers while heading west to the Carillon and onto Disposal Rd. The impromptu pair was a male and female; the male had a silver federal band (possibly the same one sighted earlier in the afternoon), while the female had a black federal band, marking her as a NJ bird. During the antics on the towers, the female made a very low pass over the trail, allowing her black and green auxiliary band to be photographed.

A 70 and an N below it was enough to ID the bird as 70/AN, a female banded this past June at a newly discovered nest near Atlantic City! This falcon ended up chasing a duck across the Teal Pool, with both birds passing very low (less than 6 feet) across Saw Mill Creek Trail!

The male Peregrine briefly joined the chase shortly before the female falcon broke off the pursuit. Both falcons passed back across the trail at very low altitude, then soared together over the Teal Pool. They drifted west to 2 sets of towers on Disposal Rd. One then headed to Disposal Rd. and the old landfill, with the other following soon after, and passing out of view.

Afterward, the trio of Northern Harriers re-appeared over Disposal, putting on an impressive aerial show. Towards dusk, up to 3 Common Nighthawks appeared. One of them took a few shots at a lingering female Northern Harrier, at one point forcing the raptor to briefly land on the landfill!

More pix can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80696806@N06/sets/72157635249879686/

(Thanks, Mike!)