A brilliant display
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20th Oct 2013 There were good views of the high-tide from Pickerings hide today. It came over the lower edges of the marsh and pushed the waders further up the marsh. The waders were unsettled and we guessed there was a peregrine about: every fifteen minutes or so they were up, flying high over the marsh or low - out across the river. Each time they came back to a slightly different patch to roost, making counting them very difficult.
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The geese continued to graze the marsh and we managed to find a pale-bellied brent goose (a rare bird here) and a colour-ringed greylag goose amongst them. There were still six little stints around and at least two curlew sandpipers
amongst the dunlins and redshanks. At one point fifty two golden plovers arrived with the lapwings but they only stayed for ten minutes or so. |
The pale-bellied brent goose is much smaller than the Canada geese.
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The real highlight of the trip was a magnificent display between a peregrine falcon and the local crows. Initially the peregrine took umbrage against a particular crow: she hassled it continuously for several minutes, flying high above it and stooping many times, hitting it on the wing and on at least one occasion almost knocking her into the waves. Eventually they both flew off up-river and peace was restored.
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That was just the beginning – ten minutes later the peregrine was back but the table had turned: she was harassed by up to six crows, often two at a time. The peregrine usually left it till the last second before slipping away from under the crow’s attack: sometimes she left it too late and they knocked her off balance, quickly to recover and go into the next attack.
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The peregrine takes a rest after her conflict with the carrion crows.
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